An implantable neurostimulator for managing bradycardia through vagus nerve stimulation, comprising: an implantable neurostimulator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation in both afferent and efferent directions of a cervical vagus nerve (15, 16) of a patient, further comprising: an internal memory configured to store an operating mode of a pulse generator, comprising a maintenance dose of the electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore cardiac autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses; the pulse generator configured to therapeutically deliver the maintenance dose to the vagus nerve (15, 16) through a pair of helical electrodes via an electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead independent of cardiac cycle; a physiological sensor configured to monitor the patient's physiology; and a controller configured to: suspend the delivery of the maintenance dose by the pulse generator to the vagus nerve (15, 16) upon sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia via the physiological sensor; set an initial incremental partial duty cycle and an initial incremental delay, wherein electrical therapeutic stimulation is delivered at the initial incremental duty cycle after the initial incremental delay in which delivery was suspended; periodically check the patient's heart rate; increase a duration of the initial incremental delay upon sensing and re-sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia by checking the patient's heart rate, wherein a cycle of increasing the incremental delay, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation after the incremental delay and checking the patient's physiology is repeated until either normal sinus rhythm of the patient is restored or a maximum delay is reached; increase a duration of the initial incremental duty cycle upon sensing the condition indicative of absence of bradycardia by checking the patient's physiology, wherein, once normal sinus rhythm is restored, a cycle of increasing the incremental duty cycle, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation and checking the patient's heart rate repeated until is the full duty cycle has been reached. repeated until an internal memory configured to store an operating mode of a pulse generator, comprising a maintenance dose of the electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore cardiac autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses; the pulse generator configured to therapeutically deliver the maintenance dose to the vagus nerve (15, 16) through a pair of helical electrodes via an electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead independent of cardiac cycle; a physiological sensor configured to monitor the patient's physiology; and a controller configured to: suspend the delivery of the maintenance dose by the pulse generator to the vagus nerve (15, 16) upon sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia via the physiological sensor; set an initial incremental partial duty cycle and an initial incremental delay, wherein electrical therapeutic stimulation is delivered at the initial incremental duty cycle after the initial incremental delay in which delivery was suspended; periodically check the patient's heart rate; increase a duration of the initial incremental delay upon sensing and re-sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia by checking the patient's heart rate, wherein a cycle of increasing the incremental delay, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation after the incremental delay and checking the patient's physiology is repeated until either normal sinus rhythm of the patient is restored or a maximum delay is reached; increase a duration of the initial incremental duty cycle upon sensing the condition indicative of absence of bradycardia by checking the patient's physiology, wherein, once normal sinus rhythm is restored, a cycle of increasing the incremental duty cycle, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation and checking the patient's heart rate repeated until is the full duty cycle has been reached. repeated until suspend the delivery of the maintenance dose by the pulse generator to the vagus nerve (15, 16) upon sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia via the physiological sensor; set an initial incremental partial duty cycle and an initial incremental delay, wherein electrical therapeutic stimulation is delivered at the initial incremental duty cycle after the initial incremental delay in which delivery was suspended; periodically check the patient's heart rate; increase a duration of the initial incremental delay upon sensing and re-sensing a condition indicative of bradycardia by checking the patient's heart rate, wherein a cycle of increasing the incremental delay, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation after the incremental delay and checking the patient's physiology is repeated until either normal sinus rhythm of the patient is restored or a maximum delay is reached; increase a duration of the initial incremental duty cycle upon sensing the condition indicative of absence of bradycardia by checking the patient's physiology, wherein, once normal sinus rhythm is restored, a cycle of increasing the incremental duty cycle, delivery of the electrical therapeutic stimulation and checking the patient's heart rate repeated until is the full duty cycle has been reached. repeated until