Patent ID: 8682429

Claim:
A nerve stimulation apparatus comprising: a stimulation signal output unit configured to output a nerve stimulation signal; a cardiac event detector configured to detect a cardiac event; and a controller configured to control the stimulation signal output unit so as to output, in a non-refractory period, a nerve stimulation signal having a smaller intensity than that in a cardiac refractory period, wherein the cardiac refractory period is obtained on the basis of the cardiac event detected by the cardiac event detector, and wherein the controller is configured, in the non-refractory period, to compare a previous depolarization interval with a depolarization interval of interest, to determine a rate of change between the previous depolarization interval and the depolarization interval of interest, and to set an upper limit of an intensity of the nerve stimulation signal on the basis of the rate of change, and wherein the controller is configured to set an intensity of a following nerve stimulation signal larger than the upper limit of the intensity of the nerve stimulation signal when the rate of change is smaller than a predetermined value.