Patent ID: 8131362

Claim:
An implantable medical device for delivering heart failure therapy, comprising: a myocardium pacing pulse generator configured to provide myocardial pacing pulses; a neural stimulation pulse generator configured to provide neural stimulation pacing pulses; at least one lead configured to be implanted in a lead path for use in stimulating a desired neural target in the autonomic nervous system and for use in stimulating a desired myocardial target, wherein the at least one lead includes at least a first electrode used to deliver the myocardial pacing pulses from the lead path to stimulate the desired myocardial target and a second electrode used to deliver the neural stimulation pacing pulses from the lead path to stimulate the desired neural target; and a programmable controller configured to control the myocardium pacing pulse generator and the neural stimulation pulse generator, wherein the controller is programmed to deliver myocardial pacing pulses using the first electrode from the lead path to pre-excite and mechanically unload a myocardium region proximate to the desired myocardial target, and deliver neural stimulation pacing pulses using the second electrode from the lead path to the desired neural target to modulate autonomic activity.