Patent ID: 7725181
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: A61B,A61N

Abstract:
1. An implantable cardiac device, comprising: pacing circuitry to apply pulses to a patient's heart using multiple physiologic pacing parameters; a pacing test engine to periodically select trial values for one of the multiple physiologic pacing parameters and for each trial value to apply the pulses using the trial value for a time interval; an apnea detector to measure an apnea burden associated with each time interval; and an apnea therapy module to receive apnea burden measurements and select a value for a pacing parameter based on the trial values and associated apnea burdens, wherein the apnea therapy module is configured to determine the corresponding value for the pacing parameter that results in a lowest apnea burden and to direct the pacing circuitry to apply the corresponding value during pacing; wherein the sleep apnea detector measures apnea burden by measuring cardiac contractility.