System and method for respiration-modulated pacing
First Claim
1. A system for respiration modulated pacing, comprising:
- pulse generator means for generating and delivering pacing pulses to one of a vagus nerve and sympathetic nerve system to control the beat rate of a patient'"'"'s heart; and
rate control means for controlling a pacing rate of said pacing pulses, said rate control means further comprising;
respiration means for obtaining respiration signals representative of patient respiration, and modulation means for developing rate modulation signals for controlling said pacing rate to change as a function of said respiration signals and to increase during the patient'"'"'s inspiration phase relative to the pacing rate during the patients expiration phase.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of providing for cardiac pacing which incorporates modulation of the pacing rate in order to minimize variations in ventricular power output, e.g., variation related to patient respiratory phases. In a preferred embodiment, pacing rate is increased during inspiration relative to expiration, to restore a measure of the normal rate modulation which occurs in a normal person. Patient respiration is monitored and a respiration signal is processed to determine the timing of rate modulation. Parameters representative of respiratory changes, such as right ventricular volume and right ventricular blood pressure are also monitored and, together with respiration amplitudes changes, are used to determine an incremental rate signal for controlling the extent of rate variation. Heart rate and patient activity are also sensed, to provide further control of rate modulation, with maximum modulation being provided when the patient is sleeping, and minimal or no modulation being provided when the patient is active. The system of this invention is applicable in combination with conventional pacing systems, or can be adapted to special clinical applications.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for respiration modulated pacing, comprising:
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pulse generator means for generating and delivering pacing pulses to one of a vagus nerve and sympathetic nerve system to control the beat rate of a patient'"'"'s heart; and rate control means for controlling a pacing rate of said pacing pulses, said rate control means further comprising; respiration means for obtaining respiration signals representative of patient respiration, and modulation means for developing rate modulation signals for controlling said pacing rate to change as a function of said respiration signals and to increase during the patient'"'"'s inspiration phase relative to the pacing rate during the patients expiration phase. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for pacing a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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pulse generator means for generating and delivering pace pulses to one of a vagus nerve and sympathetic nerve system of said patient; rate control means for controlling a pacing rate at which said pulse generator means generates and delivers pace pulses; respiration means for obtaining respiration signals representative of patient'"'"'s respiration, and said rate control means comprising modulation means for modulating said pacing rate as a function of said respiration signals. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An implantable system for varying a patient'"'"'s heart rate as a function of the patient'"'"'s respiratory cycles, comprising:
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a stimulus generator for generating stimulus signals at a rate; delivery means for delivering said stimulus signals to one of a vagus nerve and sympathetic nerve system within said patient and to modulate the patient'"'"'s heart rate; respiration means for obtaining respiration signals representative of the patient'"'"'s respiratory cycles; and control means for controlling said stimulus generator to generate said stimulus signals as a function of said respiration signals. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A method of pacing a patient to provide a respiration-modulated heart rate, comprising:
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obtaining respiration signals representative of the inspiratory and expiratory phases of the patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle, generating phasic rate control signals as a function of at least one of said inspiratory and expiratory phases, generating stimulus pulses at a rate controlled by said phasic rate control signals, and delivering said phasic rate controlled stimulus pulses to one of the vagus nerve and sympathetic nerve system to pace the patient'"'"'s heart at a relatively higher rate during said inspiratory phase compared to said expiratory phase. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification