Patent ID: 7813805

Claim:
An implantable stimulation apparatus comprising: a) a vagal nerve stimulator configured to generate electrical pulses having an energy insufficient to slow a patient's heart rate; b) a first electrode coupled to the vagal nerve stimulator and configured to transmit the electrical pulses to a vagal nerve so as to at least one of: (1) inhibit injury resulting from an ischemia; or (2) reduce injury resulting from an ischemia; c) a second electrode configured to sense cardiac activity of a patient's heart; and d) a control circuit coupled to the second electrode and the vagal nerve stimulator, the control circuit configured to: use the cardiac activity to determine an energy of the electrical pulses at which the patient's heart rate is not slowed; determine an energy of the electrical pulses at which the patient's heart rate is slowed by increasing the enemy of the electrical pulses until the sensed cardiac activity indicates a slowing of the heart rate; and adjust energy parameters of the electrical pulses so that the energy of the electric pulses is insufficient to slow the patient's heart rate.