Patent ID: 7869871
Filing Date: 2011-01-11
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A cardiac pacing system comprising: a sensing circuit to sense at least one cardiac signal; a pacing circuit to deliver pacing pulses; an exertion level sensor; a diastolic performance sensor to sense a signal indicative of a diastolic function that relates to how optimally the ventricles are filling with blood during diastole; a signal processor adapted to receive and process the signal indicative of the diastolic function, the signal processor including a diastolic performance parameter generator to produce a diastolic performance parameter based on the signal indicative of the diastolic function; a pacing controller coupled to the sensing circuit and the pacing circuit, the pacing controller being programmed to deliver paces with a rate-adaptive pacing mode based upon signals from the exertion level sensor wherein a rate-adaptive algorithm maps the exertion level signals to a modified pacing rate in accordance with a rate-response function; wherein the pacing controller is programmed to determine if diastolic filling is compromised by comparing the diastolic performance parameter with a specified threshold value; and wherein the pacing controller is further programmed to adjust one or more rate-adaptive pacing parameters that define the rate-response function if a comparison of the diastolic performance parameter with a specified threshold value indicates diastolic filling is compromised, wherein the one or more rate-adaptive pacing parameter are adjusted in a manner that tends to prevent increases in the modified pacing rate which compromise diastolic filling.