Implantable cardiac stimulation device for and method of monitoring progression or regression of heart disease by monitoring evoked response features

In an implantable cardiac stimulation device, a method comprising:

• applying stimulation pulses to a heart according to a set of pacing parameters;
• sensing electrical evoked responses and providing corresponding evoked response signals;
• monitoring at least one feature of the evoked response signals to provide corresponding quantized values;
• processing the quantized values to determine if progression or regression of the heart disease exists;
• and
• adjusting at least one of the pacing parameter when progression or regression of the heart disease exists.

In an implantable cardiac stimulation device, a method of monitoring progression or regression of a patient's heart disease, the method including the steps of:

• applying stimulation pulses to the heart to cause electrical evoked responses of the heart;
• sensing the electrical evoked responses to provide evoked response signals;
• quantifying at least one isolated feature of the evoked response signals to provide corresponding quantified values, the quantified values over time being indicative of the progression or regression of the patient's heart disease;
• storing the quantified values in a memory;
• conveying the stored quantified values to an external receiver for analysis;
• processing the quantified values to determine if progression or regression of the heart disease exists;
• and
• adjusting at least one pacing parameter when progression or regression of the heart disease exists.

In an implantable cardiac stimulation device, a system for monitoring progression or regression of a patients heart disease, comprising;

• stimulation means for applying stimulation pulses to the heart and causing electrical evoked responses of the heart;
• analyzing means for analyzing the electrical evoked responses for quantifying at least one isolated feature of the electrical evoked responses to provide corresponding quantified values, the quantified values over time being indicative of the progression or regression of the patient's heart disease;
• memory means for storing the quantified values;
• telemetry means for conveying the stored quantified values to a nonimplanted receiver for analysis;
• means for determining if progression or regression of the heart disease exists from the quantified values;
• and
• means for adjusting at least one pacing parameter when progression or regression of the heart disease exists.

In an implantable cardiac stimulation device, a system that monitors progression or regression in a patients heart disease, the system comprising:

• a pulse generator that delivers pacing pulses to the heart to cause electrical evoked responses of the heart;
• a sensing circuit that senses the electrical evoked responses of the heart to generate evoked response signals;
• a processor programmed to analyze the evoked response signals, to isolate a given characteristic of the evoked response signals and to quantify the isolated characteristics to provide corresponding quantized values, relative changes in the quantized values over time being indicative of the progression or regression in the patient's heart disease;
• a memory that stores the quantized values;
• a telemetry circuit that transmits the stored quantized values to an external receiver for analysis;
• and
• circuitry that is operative to process the quantized values to determine if progression or regression of the heart disease exists, wherein the circuitry is operative to adjust at least one pacing parameter when progression or regression of the heart disease exists.