| abstract |
An antiarrhythmia pacemaker detects the occurrence of an abnormal condition of a patient's heart and, in response, delivers an antiarrhythmia therapy to the patient which includes two components, electrical stimulation of the heart and electrical stimulation of nerves or ganglia in the autonomic nervous system. The antiarrhythmia pacemaker controls electrical stimulation of the heart in terms of timing, frequency, amplitude, duration and other operational parameters, to provide such pacing therapies as antitachycardia pacing, cardioversion and defibrillation. A nerve stimulation electrode, which is driven by a nerve fiber pulse stimulator, stimulates preselected nerve fibers within the patient's autonomic nervous system. An arrhythmia therapy control responds to the detection and confirmation of an abnormal heart condition by controlling and coordinating the heart pulse stimulator and the nerve fiber stimulator to direct performance of a combined heart and nerve stimulation therapy. |