A device for monitoring the heart rate and of an abnormal ventilation

摘要

An implantable device having enhanced capabilities for monitoring a patient's heart rate and respiration trends over extended periods of time is disclosed. The information collected by the implantable device (10) may be stored and telemetered to an associated external device such as a devive programmer (420) for display and analysis. Heart rates are measured by measuring the time intervals between sensed depolarizations of a chamber of the patient's heart and preceding sensed depolarizations or delivered pacing pulses. Intervals may be measured in the ventricle and/or atrium of the patient's heart. According to another aspect of the invention, an implanted impedance sensor is employed to monitor minute ventilation. The heart rate and minute ventilation data is used to develp long-term trend data used f or diagnostic purposes. In one embodiment of the invention, heart interval and minute ventilation measurements are taken only during defined time periods of the night and/or day when the patient is at rest. A sensor (30) such as an activity sensor or metabolic rate sensor may be used to confirm patient inactivity.