Patent Document ID: 20150360042
Application ID: 14804509
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for automatically adjusting one or more stimulation parameters to achieve a long term reduction in preload of a heart failure (HF) patient, the method comprising: (a) alternating back and forth a plurality of times between delivering stimulation in accordance with a first set of stimulation parameters, for a first time period that is sufficiently long enough to allow the patient's compensatory mechanisms to react to the first set of stimulation parameters and achieve a substantially steady-state preload corresponding to the use of the first set of stimulation parameters, and delivering stimulation in accordance with a second set of stimulation parameters, for a second time period that is sufficiently long enough to allow the patient's compensatory mechanisms to react to the second set of stimulation parameters and achieve a substantially steady-state preload corresponding to the use of the second set of stimulation parameters, and (b) obtaining a first measure indicative of the patient's preload achieved using the first set of stimulation parameters, and a second measure indicative of the patient's preload achieved using the second set of stimulation parameters; (c) selecting one of the first and second sets of stimulation parameters in dependence on a comparison of the first measure indicative of the patient's preload achieved using the first set of stimulation parameters and the second measure indicative of the patient's preload achieved using the second set of stimulation parameters; wherein at least steps (c) and (d) are performed automatically using one or more processors.