Patent ID: 7634317
Filing Date: 2009-12-15
Classification: A61B,A61N

Abstract:
1. Apparatus comprising: an electrode device, configured to be coupled to a site of a subject; an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, configured to detect a feature of an ECG of the subject; and a control unit, configured to: drive the electrode device to apply to the site intermittent electrical stimulation during “on” periods, which electrical stimulation includes a series of bursts that commence in respective cardiac cycles after a delay after the feature of the ECG detected by the ECG monitor, wherein each of the bursts includes at least one pulse, wherein the “on periods” alternate with “off” periods in which the stimulation is not applied, and wherein each of the “on” periods has an “on” duration equal to at least 1 second, and each of the “off” periods has an “off” duration equal to at least 50% of the “on” duration, responsively to the sensed heart rate, set at least one parameter of the stimulation, compare (a) a ratio of (i) a duration of each “on” period to (ii) the sum of the duration of each “on” period and a duration of each “off” period to (b) a quotient of a number of bursts of the stimulation applied divided by a number of heart beats during the “on” and “off” periods, and detect a presence of a heart-rate-lowering effect of the stimulation responsively to finding that the quotient is less than the ratio.