The present disclosure is directed to portable cardiac defibrillators with subcutaneous electrodes and associated systems and methods. In one embodiment, a portable external cardiac defibrillator system for treating a human patient can include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrical pulse generator external to the human patient and operably coupled to the first and second electrodes. The first and second electrodes can be configured to be external to the human patient and implanted subcutaneously in the human patient during a cardiac emergency. The electrical pulse generator can be configured to deliver an electrical shock to the human patient via the first and second electrodes while the first and second electrodes are subcutaneously implanted to provide internal defibrillation to the human patient.
