Detection of patient mortality by an implantable medical device

摘要

An implantable cardiac rhythm management device is programmed and configured to detect a death event. When such an event is detected, the device ceases recording of physiological data, thus preserving in the device's memory the data collected at and shortly before the time of death. A death event may be detected by detecting of an absence of intrinsic electrical activity in the patient's heart and a lack of an evoked response to a predetermined number of pacing pulses.