| abstract |
A cardiac assist system containing a device for delivering a first pacing pulse from said system to a heart, for ceasing the delivery of said first pacing pulse to said heart, for sensing whether the heart is beating, and for delivering a second pacing pulse from said system to the heart. Each of the first pacing pulse and the second pacing pulse are delivered to the heart within a period of less than about 100 milliseconds, and has a voltage of from about 2 to about 5 volts direct current. The time between the delivery of the first pacing pulse and the second pacing pulse is at least about 1 microsecond. The first pacing pulse and the second pacing pulse are delivered to the heart at a frequency of from about 2 kiloherz to about 5 megahertz; and they each have a duration of from about 0.1 microseconds to about 500 milliseconds. The cardiac assist system also contains a device for varying the voltage and/or the frequency of each of the pacing pulses. |