Abstract: The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions.

Abstract: The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions.

Abstract: The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions.

Abstract: A method of determining respiratory effort in a medical device in which pressure signals are sensed to generate corresponding sample points, an inspiration and an expiration are detected in response to the sensed pressure signals, a breath is detected in response to the detected inspiration and the detected expiration, and the respiratory effort is determined in response to the detected breath.

Abstract: A medical device and associated method for detecting arrhythmias that includes electrodes for sensing cardiac electrical signals and a hemodynamic sensor for sensing a hemodynamic signal. An episode of cardiac electrical event intervals meeting cardiac arrhythmia detection criteria is detected from the sensed electrical signals. Cardiac mechanical events and/or cardiac mechanical event intervals are measured from the hemodynamic signal and used to withhold or confirm a cardiac arrhythmia detection of the episode.

Abstract: Techniques for storing electrograms (EGMS) that are associated with sensed episodes or events that may be non-physiological and, instead, associated with a sensing integrity condition are described. In some examples, a device or system identifies suspected non-physiological NSTs, and stores an EGM for the suspected non-physiological NSTs within an episode log. In some examples, a device or system determines whether to store an EGM for a suspected non-physiological episode or event based on whether an impedance integrity criterion has been satisfied. For example, a device or system may store an EGM for a detected short interval if the impedance integrity criterion has been met. In some examples, a device or system determines whether to buffer EGM data based on whether an impedance integrity criterion or other sensing integrity criterion has been met.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a cardiac event in a medical device determine an activity level count from an activity sensor signal for each of a number of time segments, store an activity level count for each of the time segments in a histogram, and accumulate the stored activity level counts to determine a percentage of time segments having an activity level count above a given activity level count.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a cardiac event in a medical device determine an activity level count from an activity sensor signal for each of a number of time segments, store an activity level count for each of the time segments in a histogram, and accumulate the stored activity level counts to determine a percentage of time segments having an activity level count above a given activity level count.

Abstract: A medical device and associated method for detecting arrhythmias that includes sensing cardiac electrical signals and cardiac hemodynamic signals, determining a long-term baseline hemodynamic measurement in response to a plurality of the sensed cardiac hemodynaic signals, detecting a period of increased metabolic demand in response to the sensed cardiac electrical signals, determining a sinus tachycardia baseline hemodynamic measurement in response sensing of cardiac hemododynamic signals during the detected period of increased metabolic demand, and detecting the arrhythmia and delivering therapy in response to one of only the sensed cardiac electrical signals and the sensed cardiac electrical signals in combination with one or both of the determined long-term baseline hemodynamic measurement and the sinus tachycardia baseline hemodynamic measurement.

Abstract: A system includes an episode classification module and a data retrieval module. The episode classification module receives electrograms (EGMs) from N implantable medical devices (IMDs) and determines whether the EGMs are associated with deliveries of therapy by the N IMDs. The episode classification module analyzes at least some of the EGMs and determines whether the deliveries or non-deliveries of therapy by the IMDs were appropriate. The data retrieval module receives a request from a computing device, via a network, that indicates at least two groups of the N IMDs. The data retrieval module provides to the computing device via the network, in response to the request, data for presentation to a user that indicates for each of the groups, at least one of how many of the one or more deliveries or non-deliveries were appropriate, or how many of the one or more deliveries or non-deliveries were inappropriate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting a sensing parameter in a medical device that includes a sensing electrode sensing cardiac signals, a processor to determine an adjusting characteristic associated with the cardiac signals sensed over a predetermined sensing window, and a control unit to update the sensing parameter in response to the determined adjusting characteristic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of updating a sensing parameter in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals, determining intervals in response to the sensed cardiac signals, determining interval patterns associated with the determined intervals, and updating the sensing parameter in response to the determined interval patterns.

Abstract: A system and method for filtering a pressure signal in a medical device in which a sensor terminal senses the pressure signal, an electrode terminal receives cardiac electrical signals, a signal filtering system filters the sensed pressure signal in response to a determined heart rate to generate a heart-rate dependent frequency response, and a microprocessor derives a respiration signal in response to the heart rate dependent frequency response, and determines metrics of hemodynamic function in response to the derived respiration signal.

Abstract: The disclosure provides methods and apparatus of left ventricular pacing including automated adjustment of a atrio-ventricular (AV) pacing delay interval and intrinsic AV nodal conduction testing. It includes—upon expiration or reset of a programmable AV Evaluation Interval (AVEI)—performing the following: temporarily increasing a paced AV interval and a sensed AV interval and testing for adequate AV conduction and measuring an intrinsic atrio-ventricular (PR) interval for a right ventricular (RV) chamber. Thus, in the event that the AV conduction test reveals a physiologically acceptable intrinsic PR interval then storing the physiologically acceptable PR interval in a memory structure (e.g., a median P-R from one or more cardiac cycles). In the event that the AV conduction test reveals an AV conduction block condition or if unacceptably long PR intervals are revealed then a pacing mode-switch to a bi-ventricular (Bi-V) pacing mode occurs and the magnitude of the AVEI is increased.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sensing improvement using pressure data. The method and apparatus may be used in an implantable medical device to confirm that an EGM event signifies a true mechanical cardiac activity and not just electrical oversensing. The mechanical activity may be used to create a mechanical marker channel in the implantable medical device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a cardiac event in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals from a plurality of electrodes, charging an energy storage device in response to the sensed cardiac signals, determining whether the charging of the energy storage device is completed, and determining whether the cardiac event is confirmed in response to an asynchronous look back.

Abstract: An implantable medical device system including a physiological sensor detects signal artifact in a signal waveform acquired by the sensor. Features of individual waveforms in the sensor signal are extracted. Sample waveforms are classified by expert observation into at least two classes including an artifact class. A distribution range for each of the extracted features from the sample waveforms is determined for each of the classes. Waveform classification criteria are established in response to the determined distribution ranges.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detection of changes in physiologic parameters of a patient that includes generating measured physiologic parameters, generating an adaptive baseline trend of the measured physiologic parameters corresponding to a first time period, generating a short term trend of the measured physiologic parameters corresponding to a second time period less than the first time period, and generating a metric of physiologic parameter change between the adaptive baseline trend and one of a most recent measured physiologic parameter and the short term trend of the measured physiologic parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining oversensing in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals, determining an oversensing characteristic associated with cardiac signals sensed during a predetermined sensing window, identifying oversensing in response to the oversensing characteristic, determining, in response to oversensing being identified, an adjusting characteristic associated with cardiac signals sensed during the predetermined sensing window, and updating a sensing parameter in response to the determined adjusting characteristic.

Abstract: A method of detecting a cardiac event in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals from a plurality of electrodes forming a first sensing vector and a second sensing vector, and determining first heart rate estimates associated with cardiac signals sensed from the first sensing vector and cardiac signals sensed from the second sensing vector in response to a metric of heart rate associated with the sensed cardiac signals. Second heart rate estimates associated with the first sensing vector and with the second sensing vector are generated in response to the determined first heart rate estimates, and a determination is made as to whether both of the second heart rate estimates are greater than a predetermined heart rate threshold.