Patent Document ID: 20120029587
Application ID: 12848019
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. An implantable medical device for delivering cardiac therapy comprising: monitoring apparatus configured to monitor physiological parameters of a patient, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises at least two electrodes configured to monitor electrical activity of the patient's vagus nerve; a sensing module operably coupled to the monitoring apparatus and configured to receive the monitored physiological parameters; a therapy delivery module configured to deliver cardiac therapy to the patient; control module operably coupled to the sensing module and to the therapy delivery module and configured to: differentiate between efferent activity and afferent activity of the monitored electrical activity of the patient's vagus nerve, analyze the monitored physiological parameters by at least determining whether the efferent activity of the electrical activity of the patient's vagus nerve is reduced over time, and initiate or adjust cardiac therapy to the patient if the efferent activity of the electrical activity of the patient's vagus nerve is reduced.