Patent ID: 7794404

Claim:
A method for estimating cardiac pressure within a patient using an implantable medical device, the method comprising: applying an electrical impedance detection pulse from which electrical impedance can be measured to tissues of the patient including cardiac tissues; measuring a parameter influenced by the electrical impedance detection pulse, the parameter being affected by cardiac pressure, the measuring comprising: detecting an electrical impedance (Z) signal within the patient along a sensing vector wherein impedance is affected by cardiac pressure; and deriving the parameter from the electrical impedance (Z) signal; and estimating, by a processor of the implantable medical device, cardiac pressure within the patient by applying predetermined conversion factors to the measured parameter by recalling predetermined conversion factors from a memory of the implantable medical device, wherein the predetermined conversion factors are configured to convert the parameter to cardiac pressure by inputting slope and baseline values representative of a linear relationship between cardiac pressure and the parameter.