Patent ID: 7885710

Claim:
A system for stimulating at least one stimulation site in a body having a heart, the at least one stimulation site remote from the heart, the system comprising: an implantable stimulation output device configured for delivering non-cardiac stimulation to the at least one stimulation site; and an implantable medical device including: a cardioprotective stimulation module coupled to the implantable stimulation output device, the cardioprotective stimulation module adapted to deliver one or more non-cardiac stimuli to the at least one stimulation site through the implantable output device, the one or more non-cardiac stimuli creating a physiologic stress at the at least one stimulation site without causing myocardial contraction in the heart, the physiologic stress capable of eliciting a cardioprotective effect that protects the heart from tissue damage caused by cardiac ischemia; and a cardioprotective stimulation controller coupled to the cardioprotective stimulation module, the cardioprotective stimulation controller including: a stimulation initiator including an ischemia detector adapted to detect an end of a cardiac ischemic event, the stimulation initiator adapted to produce cardioprotective stimulation signals in response to a detection of the end of the cardiac ischemic event, the cardioprotective stimulation signals each initiating a cardioprotective stimulation sequence; and a stimulation timer adapted to time the cardioprotective stimulation sequence in response to each of the cardioprotective stimulation signals, the cardioprotective stimulation sequence including alternating stimulation and non-stimulation periods, the stimulation periods each having a stimulation duration during which the one or more non-cardiac stimuli are delivered, the non-stimulation periods each having a non-stimulation duration during which none of the one or more non-cardiac stimuli is delivered.