Patent ID: 8630709

Claim:
A computer-implemented system for selecting therapy profiles of electrical stimulation of cervical vagus nerves for treatment of chronic cardiac dysfunction, comprising: an external programmer, comprising: a programming computer configured to execute using a processor program code that is stored in a recordable memory, comprising: a plurality of therapy profiles stored in the recordable memory that each comprise different sets of stimulation parameters that cooperatively define alternating cycles of stimuli application and stimuli inhibition for a neurostimulator that are tuned to restore autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses simultaneously delivered at a periodic duty cycle in a range between 5% and 30%, at an intensity that avoids acute physiological side effects and with an unchanging cycle not triggered by physiological markers in a manner that results in creation and propagation (in both afferent and efferent directions) of action potentials within neuronal fibers comprising a cervical vagus nerve of a patient to both efferently activate the heart's intrinsic nervous system and afferently activate the patient's central reflexes; and a user interface comprising input controls and a visual display and configured to display the therapy profiles to the patient and to select the set of stimulation parameters in the therapy profile chosen by the patient; a programming wand interfaced to the programming computer and configured to provide the selected set of stimulation parameters to the neurostimulator through wireless telemetry; and an implantable neurostimulator comprising a cervical vagus nerve stimulation therapy lead terminated by a pair of helical electrodes and electrically coupled to the neurostimulator, which is configured to therapeutically stimulate the patient's cervical vagus nerve through the helical electrodes by creating and propagating the action potentials with a pulse generator as specified by the selected set of stimulation parameters stored in the recordable memory.