Patent ID: 9566436
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: A61N

Claim:
1. A system for stimulating a phrenic nerve of a patient, the system comprising: a signal generator to produce stimulation signals; a lead structure configured for insertion into a venous system of the patient, the lead structure having a plurality of leads to receive stimulation signals from the signal generator; an array of electrodes on the lead structure positionable proximate the phrenic nerve and configured to receive stimulation signals from at least one of the plurality of leads for stimulation of the phrenic nerve, wherein the array of electrodes includes more than two electrically discrete electrodes; and a control system programmed to select a bipolar pair of electrodes from the array of electrodes, the pair of electrodes including two electrodes having a stimulation efficacy for the phrenic nerve that is greater than a stimulation efficacy of other pairs of electrodes of the array of electrodes, wherein the two electrodes are configured to align substantially parallel to the phrenic nerve.