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Abstract

An exercise responsive cardiac pacemaker (1) has a stimulation electrode (3) for introduction into the atrium or ventricle of the heart, a temperature sensor (4) situated in proximity to the electrode (3) for detecting the blood temperature, and a control circuit (8, 9, 10, 11) connected to the electrode (3) and the temperature sensor (4) by which the stimulation rate of the pacemaker is adaptively adjusted depending on the blood temperature. To ensure that the cardiac pacemaker works reliably in all physiological conditions of a patient, the stimulation rate is determined with reference to a field of characteristic curves (K1, K2), the individual characteristic curves constituting distinct algorithms relating heart rate to blood temperature for different physiological conditions of the pacemaker patient. A basic characteristic curve (K2) relates distinct heart rates to absolute blood temperatures under conditions without physical stress on the pacemaker patient. A set of parallel characteristic curves (K1) relates heart rate to blood temperature under conditions of exercise, the latter curves being separated from each other by absolute temperature values along and having a slope relating heart rate rise to blood temperature rise significantly higher than the slope of the basic characteristic curve.

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