Patent ID: 8463377

Claim:
An implantable system for delivering therapy, comprising: at least one of a heat sink configured to reduce temperature of excitable tissue or a heat source configured to increase temperature of excitable tissue; a pulse generator and at least one stimulation electrode configured to deliver electrical stimulation to excitable tissue; a memory with instructions for performing at least one stimulation routine to electrically stimulate the excitable tissue and for performing at least one thermal routine to change the temperature of the excitable tissue, and further with integration instructions for performing an integration routine to integrate the at least one thermal routine with the at least one stimulation routine; and a controller configured to operate on the instructions to perform the at least one stimulation routine to electrically stimulate the excitable tissue using the pulse generator and the at least one stimulation electrode, to perform the at least one thermal routine to change temperature of the excitable tissue using the heat sink or the heat source, and to operate on the integration instructions to perform the integration routine to integrate the at least one thermal routine with the at least one stimulation routine, wherein in performing the integration routine the controller is configured to coordinate timing between changing temperature of the excitable tissue and electrically stimulating the excitable tissue, wherein the system is implantable in a patient having a chronic condition indicated for a chronic therapy and further having an acute condition indicated for an acute therapy, and the controller is configured to: apply electrical stimulation for the chronic therapy and change temperature for the acute therapy: or apply electrical stimulation for the acute therapy and change temperature for the chronic therapy; or apply electrical stimulation for the chronic therapy and change temperature for the acute therapy, and apply electrical stimulation for the acute therapy and change temperature for the chronic therapy.