Patent ID: 8781583

Claim:
A device for delivering cardiac therapy comprising: monitoring apparatus configured to monitor physiological parameters of a patient's heart, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises at least one electrode to monitor electrical activity of the patient's heart and at least one sensor to monitor pressure of a ventricle of the patient's heart; a sensing module coupled to the monitoring apparatus and configured to receive the monitored physiological parameters; a therapy delivery module configured to deliver electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve; and a control module coupled to the sensing module and to the therapy delivery module and configured to: monitor P-R intervals within the electrical activity of the patient's heart and ventricular pressure of the patient's heart prior to initiation of delivery of electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve, and regulate preload and cardiac contractility of the patient's heart by initiating delivery of electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve if a P-R interval monitored within the electrical activity of the patient's heart is less than a P-R interval threshold value and the monitored ventricular pressure of the patient's heart is greater than a pressure threshold value, wherein monitored P-R intervals less than the P-R interval threshold value are indicative of unhealthy preload and cardiac contractility, and wherein monitored ventricular pressures greater than pressure threshold value are indicative of unhealthy preload and cardiac contractility.