Cardiac defibrillator with movable contact switch

Details

Inventors: Morgan, Carlton B.; Szyperski, Joseph E.;
Assignee: Physio-Control Corporation (Redmond, WA)
Primary Examiner: Howell; Kyle L.
Assistant Examiner: Schaetzle; Kennedy J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Christensen, O'Connor, Johnson & Kindness

Disclosed is a cardiac defibrillator for providing a cardiac defibrillation pulse to a patient. The defibrillator comprises a switch contact (14) mounted on a movable switch (10) that moves between a charge position and a discharge position. In the charge position, the switch contact is coupled to a high-voltage battery (22) in order to provide a charge to an energy storage capacitor (30). When the movable switch is released from the charge position, the switch contact engages an electrode contact (32) and a defibrillation pulse flows into a patient (40). The duration of the cardiac defibrillation pulse can be varied by changing the length of time that the switch contact remains engaged with electrode contact. Also disposed within the switch contact path is a discharge contact (42), which is connected to a discharge resistor (48). When the movable switch is in a discharge position, the switch contact is engaged with the discharge contact thereby allowing the discharge resistor to dissipate charge from the energy storage capacitor. A spring (16) is connected to the movable switch in order to rotate it between the charge and discharge positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is a cardiac defibrillator capable of delivering a cardiac defibrillation pulse to a patient.
The defibrillator includes an electrical energy source and an energy storage means for storing an electrical charge from the electrical energy source.
A switch contact moves along a switch contact path from a charge position to a discharge position.
An electrode contact is disposed in the switch contact path such that the cardiac defibrillation pulse is delivered to the patient when the switch contact engages the electrode contact.
The duration of the cardiac defibrillation pulse is variable by changing the length of the electrode contact that lies in the switch contact path, thereby changing the time that the switch contact and the electrode contact are engaged.
In the preferred embodiment, the movable switch contact is mounted on a switch rotor that rotates along an arcuate path between the charge and discharge positions.
Means are provided to rotate the switch contact between the charge position and the discharge position.

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