Medical therapy apparatus which administers therapy adjusted to follow natural variability of the physiological function being controlled

A pacemaker for artificially controlling a heartbeat rate of a subject, said heartbeat rate having a natural variability associated therewith, said pacemaker comprising:

• pulse generator means for generating a plurality of successive pacing pulses respectively separated by pulse intervals;
• control means for setting a basic pacing rate;
• a non-linear oscillator having an output;
• means for matching said output of said non-linear oscillator to said natural variability of said heartbeat rate to produce a variability adjustment;
• means for combining said basic rate with said variability adjustment to generate a variability-adjusted stimulation rate, said pulse generator means emitting said stimulation pulses at said variability-adjusted stimulation rate;
• and
• means for delivering said stimulation pulses at said variability-adjusted stimulation rate to a heart of said subject.

A medical therapy apparatus comprising:

• means for administering medical therapy to a subject;
• means for modeling a plurality of possible therapy procedures, each therapy procedure having a set of variables associated therewith, for obtaining a plurality of modeled therapy procedure results;
• random variable generator means, including a non-linear oscillator, for generating a plurality of random variables for use as said sets of variables;
• and
• means for selecting one of said modeled therapy procedure results as optimum for a subject to whom said therapy is to be administered.