Patent ID: 8571654

Claim:
A multi-modal vagus nerve neurostimulator for treating chronic cardiac dysfunction, comprising: an implantable neurostimulator comprising a pulse generator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses simultaneously delivered 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 through a pair of helical electrodes via an electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead; and an external electromagnetic controller configured to transmit a plurality of magnetic signals uniquely associated with operating modes stored in a recordable memory, the neurostimulator switching to the corresponding operating mode in response to the magnetic signals.