Method and system for heart failure status evaluation based on a disordered breathing index

A system for providing an assessment of a patient's heart failure status, the system comprising:

• a respiration sensor configured to generate a respiration signal responsive to patient respiration;
• a breathing unit in communication with the respiration sensor, the breathing unit configured to analyze the respiration signal to determine if the patient is undergoing rapid shallow breathing;
• an index unit in communication with the breathing unit and configured to determine a disordered breathing index;
• a trending unit in communication with the index unit and configured to trend the disordered breathing index over time;
• and
• a diagnostics unit in communication with the trending unit and configured to determine a measure related to the patient's heart failure status based, at least in part, on the trended disordered breathing index.

A method of ascertaining a patient's heart failure status, comprising:

• sensing a patient's respiration;
• determining if the patient is experiencing a disordered breathing episode based, at least in part, on the patient's respiration;
• determining a patient tilt angle during the determined disordered breathing episode;
• determining an average patient tilt angle over a plurality of determined disordered breathing episodes;
• trending the average patient tilt angle over time;
• and
• determining a measure related to the patient's heart failure status based at least in part on the trending average patient tilt angle over time.