Implantable System for Stimulating a Human or an Animal Heart

A computer program product including computer-readable code, which prompts a processor to carry out the following steps when the code is being executed on the processor:

• a) carrying out a cardiac stimulation by way of a stimulation unit;
• b) detecting a cardiac electrical signal, which was generated by a cardiac excitation as a result of the cardiac stimulation carried out beforehand, by way of a detection unit;
• c) ascertaining an excitation state of a heart stimulated by the cardiac stimulation based on the electrical signal;
• and
• d) classifying the excitation state into one of at least three classes, the at least three classes including a first class for a first excitation state, a second class for a second excitation state different from the first excitation state, and a third class for an unsuccessful stimulation without a detectable excitation state;
• and
• e) automatically adapting at least one control parameter of an implantable system for stimulating a human heart or an animal heart as a function of the classification that was carried out, the control parameter being selected from the group consisting of a His bundle stimulation energy, a His bundle stimulation vector, an operating mode of the system, at least one parameter of a timer of the system, and a stimulation control parameter suitable for a cardiac resynchronization therapy.

A method for treating a human patient or an animal patient requiring such treatment, using an implantable system for stimulating the heart of the patient, the system comprising a processor, a memory unit, a stimulation unit for stimulating the His bundle of the heart of the patient, and a detection unit for detecting an electrical signal of the heart of the patient, the method comprising the following steps:

• a) carrying out a cardiac stimulation of the heart of the patient by way of the stimulation unit;
• b) detecting a cardiac electrical signal, which was generated by a cardiac excitation as a result of the cardiac stimulation carried out beforehand, by way of the detection unit;
• c) ascertaining an excitation state of the heart stimulated by the cardiac stimulation by way of the electrical signal;
• d) classifying the excitation state into one of at least three classes, the at least three classes including a first class for a first excitation state, a second class for a second excitation state different from the first excitation state, and a third class for an unsuccessful stimulation without a detectable excitation state;
• and
• e) automatically adapting at least one control parameter of the system as a function of the classification that was carried out, the control parameter being selected from the group consisting of a His bundle stimulation energy, a His bundle stimulation vector, an operating mode of the system, at least one parameter of a timer of the system, and a stimulation control parameter suitable for a cardiac resynchronization therapy.