Patent ID: 8805503

Claim:
A method comprising: starting a stimulation parameter optimization period on a periodic basis; sensing a cardiac signal; measuring a heart rate; producing a plurality of parameter values for at least one stimulation parameter based on the measured heart rate, the plurality of parameter values to be tested during the stimulation parameter optimization period; delivering a plurality of series of test pulses of electrical stimulation pulses using the at least one stimulation parameter during the stimulation parameter optimization period, each series of test pulses of the plurality of series of test pulses associated with a parameter value of the plurality of parameter values for the at least one stimulation parameter; measuring a heart rate variability (HRV) being a variance in cardiac cycle lengths over a predetermined period of time to produce at least one HRV parameter being a measure of the HRV based on the cardiac signal sensed during the stimulation parameter optimization period; and selecting an approximately optimal value for the at least one stimulation parameter from the plurality of parameter values, the approximately optimal value corresponding to a maximum value of the HRV parameter measured during the stimulation parameter optimization period.