System and method for stimulating the heart using sub-threshold biphasic stimulation

摘要

A rules engine acquires sensor data from sensors applied to the heart and determines whether an electrical waveform should be applied to the heart and, if so, the type of electrical waveform. A multiphase cardiac stimulus generator generates waveforms in response to the rules engine. The electrical waveform is applied to one or more electrodes implanted in or on the heart.

主权项

1. An apparatus for stimulating a patient's heart, comprising:
a multiphase cardiac stimulus generator; one or more sensors configured to sense parameters of a human heart; one or more electrodes configured to be implanted on, in, or proximate to at least one of an atrial chamber and a ventricular chamber of the heart; and a rules engine, including a processor and a memory configured to store rules and receive data from the one or more sensors, wherein the processor is configured to: poll the one or more sensors to obtain sensor data regarding the parameters of the human heart; apply the rules to the sensor data to determine whether to deliver a sub-threshold electrical waveform to at least one of the one or more electrodes when the data indicates a weakening contraction of the human; instruct the multiphase cardiac stimulus generator to generate a biphasic waveform as the sub-threshold electrical waveform when delivery of the electrical waveform to at least one of the one or more electrodes is determined; deliver the sub-threshold electrical waveform at a timing determined from the sensor data; update the sensor data; determine whether to continue delivery of the sub-threshold electrical waveform based on the updated sensor data; and increase a level of a cathodal part of the sub-threshold electrical waveform for a next heartbeat when delivery of the sub-threshold electrical waveform is to be continued and the updated sensor data indicates that no depolarization has occurred in at least one chamber of the heart.