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Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing circulatory and respiratory assistance in a patient. The method includes the steps of determining the onset and duration of at least one portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient and increasing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by introducing a volume of a respiratory gas into the lungs of the patient during the ventricular systolic portion of the cardiac cycle. The method includes reducing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by extracting, under either subambient or substantially ambient respiratory gas pressure, a portion of the volume of the respiratory gas from the lungs of the patient, beginning during the diastolic portion of the same cardiac cycle. An apparatus for providing circulatory and respiratory assistance in a patient includes a processing device for determining the onset and duration of at least one portion of the cardiac cycle and a ventilation controller for increasing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by introducing a volume of a respiratory gas into the lungs of the patient during the ventricular systolic portion of the patient's cardiac cycle and for reducing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by extracting, under subambient or substantially ambient pressure, a portion of the volume of the respiratory gas from the lungs of the patient beginning during the diastolic portion of the same cardiac cycle.

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