Patent ID: 8135471

Claim:
A system for use in a body having left and right phrenic nerves and left and right pericardiophrenic veins, the system comprising: an implantable medical device including: a respiratory sensor configured to sense a respiratory signal; a respiratory cycle detector configured to detect events indicative of respiratory cycles using the respiratory signal, the respiratory cycles indicative of an intrinsic respiratory rate; a respiratory performance monitor configured to detect one or more respiratory performance parameters indicative of respiratory performance from the respiratory signal, the one or more respiratory performance parameters including a minute ventilation; a stimulation circuit configured to deliver stimulation; and a stimulation controller coupled to the respiratory cycle detector and the stimulation circuit, the stimulation controller programmed to control the delivery of the stimulation and including a stimulation rate adjuster programmed to cause the stimulation to be delivered at a stimulation rate that is approximately equal to the intrinsic respiratory rate for a period of time allowing the respiratory cycles to be under control of the stimulation and to decrease the stimulation rate after the period of time at a rate allowing the respiratory cycles to adapt to the stimulation rate until the stimulation rate reaches a specified target respiratory rate, the stimulation controller including a stimulation safety switch programmed to inhibit the delivery of the stimulation using the one or more respiratory performance parameters including the minute ventilation.