Pacemaker with vasovagal syncope detection
First Claim
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1. A cardiac pacer comprising:
- means for detecting depolarizations of a heart;
means for determining spontaneous heart depolarization rate;
pulse generating means for delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate;
drop detecting means for detecting a rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate, said drop detecting means comprising means for identifying a highest persistent heart rate over a limited time interval and means for determining whether said spontaneous heart depolarization rate has dropped more than a defined amount from said highest persistent heart rate; and
means responsive to a said detected rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate for causing said pulse generator means to deliver pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for cardiac pacing, which provides for delivery of pacing pulses at an increased rate in response to a detected rapid drop in heart rate. A rapid drop may be detected in response to a drop of greater than a defined amount from the highest detected heart rate, over a preceding time period. Alternatively, an unbroken sequence of pacing pulses delivered at a base pacing rate may trigger pacing at an increased pacing rate.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A cardiac pacer comprising:
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means for detecting depolarizations of a heart; means for determining spontaneous heart depolarization rate; pulse generating means for delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate; drop detecting means for detecting a rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate, said drop detecting means comprising means for identifying a highest persistent heart rate over a limited time interval and means for determining whether said spontaneous heart depolarization rate has dropped more than a defined amount from said highest persistent heart rate; and means responsive to a said detected rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate for causing said pulse generator means to deliver pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A cardiac pacer comprising:
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means for detecting depolarizations of a heart; means for determining spontaneous heart depolarization rate; pulse generating means for delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate; drop detecting means for detecting a rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate; means responsive to a said detected rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate for causing said pulse generator means to deliver pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate; means for defining time periods associated with sleeping; and means for disabling said drop detection means during said time periods associated with sleeping. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A cardiac pacer comprising:
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means for detecting heart depolarizations; means for storing heart depolarization intervals; means for determining spontaneous heart depolarization rate; pulse generating means for delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate; rapid rate drop detecting means comprising means for storing a single column or row of a look-up table relating drop sizes and stored heart depolarization intervals to defined changes in depolarization interval such that only a said column or row associated with said selected drop size is stored, means for selecting a said defined change in depolarization interval as a function of a said stored depolarization interval, and means for identifying a rapid rate drop in response to an increase in heart depolarization interval from said stored depolarization interval, of greater than said selected change in depolarization interval; and means responsive to a said identified rapid rate drop for causing said pulse generator means to deliver pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A cardiac pacer comprising:
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means for detecting depolarizations of a heart chamber; pulse generating means for delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate in absent detected depolarizations of said heart chamber; means responsive to generation of a series of pacing pulses at said first pacing rate without intervening detected depolarizations of said chamber, for temporarily causing said pulse generating means to generate pacing pulses at a second pacing rate in excess of said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of cardiac pacing, comprising:
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detecting depolarizations of a heart; determining spontaneous heart depolarization rate; delivering cardiac pacing pulses to said heart at a first pacing rate; detecting a rapid drop in spontaneous depolarization rate of said heart by identifying a highest persistent heart rate over a limited time interval and determining whether said spontaneous heart depolarization rate has dropped more than a defined amount from said highest persistent heart rate; and in response to a detected rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate, delivering pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of cardiac pacing, comprising:
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defining time periods associated with sleeping; detecting depolarizations of a heart; delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate; detecting a rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate during time periods outside of said time periods associated with sleeping; and responsive to a detected rapid drop in spontaneous heart depolarization rate, delivering pacing pulses at a second pacing rate higher than said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A method of cardiac pacing, comprising:
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detecting depolarizations of a heart chamber; delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a first pacing rate absent detected depolarizations of said heart chamber; responsive to delivery of a series of pacing pulses at said first pacing rate without intervening detected depolarizations of said chamber, temporarily delivering cardiac pacing pulses at a second pacing rate in excess of said first pacing rate. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification