Patent Document ID: 20020133207
Application ID: 09812159
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A cardiac rhythm management device comprising means for sensing cardiac depolarization events; pulse generating means for delivering cardiac stimulating pulses to the heart; a microprocessor-based controller coupled to receive the electrical signals from the sensing means and connected in controlling relation to the pulse generating means, the microprocessor-based controller executing a program of instructions stored therein for producing control signals at timed intervals to the pulse generating means based, at least in part, on the electrical signals from the sensing means; and a Watchdog timer in the microprocessor-based controller for monitoring instruction execution time by the microprocessor-based controller and capable of producing a Watchdog Interrupt signal when more than a predetermined period of time is required for executing one or more instructions in said program, the length of the predetermined time period being a programmable parameter.