Patent ID: 8423134

Claim:
A device for use in treatment of a patient comprising: perturbation apparatus configured to perturb at least one physiological system of a patient, wherein the perturbation apparatus comprises at least one electrode to stimulate an efferent fiber of a vagus nerve; monitoring apparatus configured to monitor physiological parameters of the patient, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises at least one electrode to monitor an afferent fiber of the vagus nerve during delivery of electrical stimulation to the efferent fiber; a sensing module coupled to the monitoring apparatus and configured to receive the monitored physiological parameters; a therapy delivery module configured to deliver therapy to the patient; and a control module coupled to the perturbation apparatus, to the sensing module, and to the therapy delivery module, and configured to: perturb at least one physiological system of the patient using the perturbation apparatus by at least delivering electrical stimulation to the efferent fiber, monitor electrical activity from the afferent nerve, wherein the electrical activity includes an indirect component of a compound action potential (CAP), wherein the afferent electrical activity is associated with a burst pattern during a predetermined phase of a cardiac cycle, assess a status of the patient's heart based on the indirect component, and determine whether to deliver therapy to the patient using the therapy delivery module based on the assessed status of the patient's heart.