A system for electrically stimulating a vagus nerve in a living body having a heart and a laryngeal muscle, the system comprising: a stimulation circuit configured to deliver electrical stimulation pulses to the vagus nerve; a stimulation control circuit configured to control the delivery of the electrical stimulation pulses using a plurality of stimulation parameters, the stimulation control circuit including a storage circuit and a parameter adjuster, the storage circuit configured to store the plurality of stimulation parameters including at least one stimulation parameter selected for the delivery of the electrical stimulation pulses to modulate a cardiovascular function without causing contraction of a laryngeal muscle, the parameter adjuster configured to adjust the at least one stimulation parameter so that first parameters indicative of the modulation of the cardiovascular function are each within a first threshold range and a second parameter indicative of nonoccurerence of the contraction of the laryngeal muscle is within a second threshold range; an electromyographic sensing circuit configured to sense an EMG signal indicative of the contraction of the laryngeal muscle; an EMG amplitude producer configured to produce an amplitude of the EMG signal using the EMG signal, the amplitude being the second parameter; surface electrodes; an electrocardiographic sensing circuit configured to sense an ECG signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the surface electrodes; a heart rate producer configured to produce a heart rate using the ECG signal, the heart rate being a parameter of the first parameters; a first intravascular pressure sensing catheter; an arterial blood pressure sensing circuit configured to sense an arterial blood pressure signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the first intravascular pressure sensing catheter; a mean BP producer configured to produce a mean arterial BP using the arterial blood pressure signal, the mean arterial BP being a parameter of the first parameters; a second intravascular pressure sensing catheter; a left ventricular pressure sensing circuit configured to sense an LV blood pressure signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the second intravascular pressure sensing catheter; and an LV contractility producer configured to produce a rate of LV pressure change being a measure of the LV contractility, the measure of the LV contractility being a parameter of the first parameters. a stimulation circuit configured to deliver electrical stimulation pulses to the vagus nerve; a stimulation control circuit configured to control the delivery of the electrical stimulation pulses using a plurality of stimulation parameters, the stimulation control circuit including a storage circuit and a parameter adjuster, the storage circuit configured to store the plurality of stimulation parameters including at least one stimulation parameter selected for the delivery of the electrical stimulation pulses to modulate a cardiovascular function without causing contraction of a laryngeal muscle, the parameter adjuster configured to adjust the at least one stimulation parameter so that first parameters indicative of the modulation of the cardiovascular function are each within a first threshold range and a second parameter indicative of nonoccurerence of the contraction of the laryngeal muscle is within a second threshold range; an electromyographic sensing circuit configured to sense an EMG signal indicative of the contraction of the laryngeal muscle; an EMG amplitude producer configured to produce an amplitude of the EMG signal using the EMG signal, the amplitude being the second parameter; surface electrodes; an electrocardiographic sensing circuit configured to sense an ECG signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the surface electrodes; a heart rate producer configured to produce a heart rate using the ECG signal, the heart rate being a parameter of the first parameters; a first intravascular pressure sensing catheter; an arterial blood pressure sensing circuit configured to sense an arterial blood pressure signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the first intravascular pressure sensing catheter; a mean BP producer configured to produce a mean arterial BP using the arterial blood pressure signal, the mean arterial BP being a parameter of the first parameters; a second intravascular pressure sensing catheter; a left ventricular pressure sensing circuit configured to sense an LV blood pressure signal indicative of the cardiovascular function using the second intravascular pressure sensing catheter; and an LV contractility producer configured to produce a rate of LV pressure change being a measure of the LV contractility, the measure of the LV contractility being a parameter of the first parameters.