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An implantable cardiac stimulation device, programmer, and method provides for automatically evaluating interaction of the implantable device with the patient's heart. The evaluation of the interaction of the device with the patient's heart is based upon analysis of a heart activity signal which may

An implantable cardiac stimulation device, programmer, and method provides for automatically evaluating interaction of the implantable device with the patient's heart. The evaluation of the interaction of the device with the patient's heart is based upon analysis of a heart activity signal which may include event markers generated by the implantable device representing applied stimulation pulses and sensed physiological cardiac events. The heart activity signal is analyzed by the programmer and/or implanted device and the operation of the implantable device is automatically adjusted in response to the event heart activity signal analysis. The heart activity signal analysis is also used to determine final evaluation results and completion of the evaluation procedure. The programmer then provides recommendations to the physician as to device programming and/or performs these adjustments automatically.

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An implantable cardiac stimulation device, programmer, and method provides for automatically evaluating interaction of the implantable device with the patient's heart. The evaluation of the interaction of the device with the patient's heart is based upon analysis of a heart activity signal which may

An implantable cardiac stimulation device, programmer, and method provides for automatically evaluating interaction of the implantable device with the patient's heart. The evaluation of the interaction of the device with the patient's heart is based upon analysis of a heart activity signal which may include event markers generated by the implantable device representing applied stimulation pulses and sensed physiological cardiac events. The heart activity signal is analyzed by the programmer and/or implanted device and the operation of the implantable device is automatically adjusted in response to the event heart activity signal analysis. The heart activity signal analysis is also used to determine final evaluation results and completion of the evaluation procedure. The programmer then provides recommendations to the physician as to device programming and/or performs these adjustments automatically. n from an exit of said source fiber to an entrance of a selected at least one of N illumination fiber in a first defined sequence; (d) probe means for supporting and aligning M detection fibers and said N illumination fibers, said probe means including a holding structure for said illumination and detection fibers, said probe means additionally maintaining said illumination and detection fibers in optical contact with the tissue region, said probe means further illuminating the tissue region with light from an exit of said at least one illumination fibers, and for receiving a resultant illumination at an entrance of said at least one of said M detection fibers, said resultant illumination having passed though a portion of the tissue region; (e) a second fiber optic switcher for guiding illumination having entered said M detection fibers in a second defined sequence from an exit of a selected said one or more M detection fibers to an entrance of a spectrum analyzer fiber; (f) a spectrum analyzer for receiving light from an exit of the spectrum analyzer fiber, and for producing a first output signal representative of an intensity of at least a portion of the received light; (g) a computer for receiving said first output signal, said computer configured to compare said first output to a database of known spectral characteristics and reference criteria, and for determining a presence or absence of a target tissue type within said region of known tissue type based upon said comparison, and for generating a second output signal based upon said comparison. 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a needle, said reference criteria are directed to nervous tissue, and said computer determines the presence or absence of nervous tissue at risk for being aspirated by said needle. 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a surgical knife, said reference criteria are directed to abdominal contents, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a tissue pre-selected from a list of tissues types that are desired not to be cut. 4. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is an electrocautery tool, said reference criteria are directed to a blood vessel, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a tissue that has been cauterized beyond a useful amount. 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a forceps, said reference criteria are directed to the set of tissues found within the abdominal cavity, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a ureter. 6. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a tool for denaturing tissues in order to kill the tissues, said reference criteria are directed to changes in the tissues as they are denatured, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues that are sufficiently denatured. 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a tool for measuring tissue oxygenation, said reference criteria are directed to blood oxygenation, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues with abnormal oxygenation. 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said probe means is a tool for measuring oxygenation, said reference criteria are directed to blood oxygenation, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues at risk for an impending injury related to oxygenation level. 9. An invasive optical biopsy apparatus for making measurements of tissue of known regional tissue type, comprising: (a) a white light source, said source coupled to an entrance of a first optical fiber, said first fiber contained within a first tissue penetrating probe, said first fiber arranged so as to be optically coupled with a tissue of known regional tissue type when said first penetrating probe is placed within the tissue in a penetrating manner; (b) a spectrum analyzer for receiving light, said spectrum analyzer coupled to an exit of a second optical fiber, said second fiber contained within a secon d tissue penetrating probe, said second fiber arranged so as to be optically coupled with the tissue when said second penetrating probe is placed within the tissue in a penetrating manner, and said second probe sufficiently proximate to said first probe so as to permit an entrance of said second optical fiber to receive a residual illumination from an exit of said first fiber, said residual illumination having passed though a portion of the tissue, and for producing an output signal representative of at least a portion of said received illumination; (c) a penetrating probe holder for providing a holding structure for maintaining said first and second penetrating probes in a predetermined alignment; (d) a physical translation mechanism for advancing and retracting said probe holder, said translation mechanism driving said first and second probes into the interior of the tissue during advancement, and retracting said first and second probes from the interior of the tissue during retraction, said translation mechanism maintaining said first and second fiber in optical contact with the tissue of known regional tissue type for at least a portion of the time, said transition mechanism under operative control of either a user or a computer; and; (e) a computer for receiving said output signal, and for classifying the region of known tissue type, wherein said computer is operable to perform a computational comparison of said received signal to a set of reference criteria in order to determine a presence or absence of a target tissue type within said tissue of known regional tissue type based upon said comparison, and for generating a second output signal based upon said comparison. 10. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to the uterus, and said computer determines the presence or absence of adenomyosis. 11. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to the brain, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a cerebral stroke. 12. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to the prostate, and said computer determines the presence or absence of frozen tissue. 13. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to the breast, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a cyst. 14. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to the brain, and said computer determines the presence or absence of hemorrhage. 15. The device of claim 1 or 9 wherein said reference criteria are directed to a blood vessel, and said computer determines the presence or absence of welded tissue. 16. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are needles, said reference criteria are directed to nervous tissue, and said computer determines the presence or absence of nervous tissue at risk for being aspirated by said needle. 17. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are surgical knives, said reference criteria are directed to abdominal contents, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a tissue pre-selected from a list of tissues types that are desired not to be cut. 18. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are electrocautery tools, said reference criteria are directed to a blood vessel, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a tissue that has been cauterized beyond a useful amount. 19. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are forceps, said reference criteria are directed to the set of tissues found within the abdominal cavity, and said computer determines the presence or absence of a ureter. 20. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are tools for denaturing tissues in order to kill the tissues, said reference criteria are directed to changes in the tissues as they are denatured, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues that are sufficient ly denatured. 21. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are tools for measuring tissue oxygenation, said reference criteria are directed to blood oxygenation, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues with abnormal oxygenation. 22. The device of claim 9 wherein said first and second probes are tools for measuring oxygenation, said reference criteria are directed to blood oxygenation, and said computer determines the presence or absence of the tissues at risk for an impending injury related to oxygenation level. 23. A medical probe for imaging brain stroke, comprising: (a) a white light source, said source coupled to an optical source fiber; (b) a first fiber optic switcher for receiving illumination from said source fiber, said optic switcher arranged so as to illuminate a series of N illumination fibers in a first defined sequence; (c) a probe means for optically measuring the brain, said probe means receiving illumination from said illumination fibers, and collecting a resultant illumination after said received illumination has passed through a portion of the head and brain, said received illumination entering M collection fibers maintained in optical contact with the scalp; (d) a second fiber optic switcher for receiving illumination from said collection fibers, said second switcher arranged so as to be able to select from a series of M collection fibers in a second defined sequence and pass light from said selected collection fiber into a spectrum analyzer fiber; (e) a spectrum analyzer for receiving light from the spectrum analyzer fiber and for producing an output signal representative of at least a portion of the detected spectrum; and, (f) a computer for receiving said output signal, and for comparing said output to a database of known spectral characteristics and reference criteria, and for determining a presence or absence of cerebral stroke based upon the result of said comparison, and for generating a second output signal based upon said determination. 24. An invasive optical biopsy apparatus for making measurements of tissue, comprising: (a) a white light source, said source coupled to an entrance of a first optical fiber, said first fiber contained within a first tissue penetrating probe means, said first fibre arranged so as to be optically coupled with the tissue when said first penetrating probe means is placed within the tissue in a penetrating manner; (b) a spectrum analyzer for receiving light, said spectrum analyzer coupled to an exit of a second optical fiber, said second fiber contained within a second tissue penetrating probe means, said second fiber arranged so as to be optically coupled with the tissue when said second penetrating probe means is placed within the tissue in a penetrating manner, and said second probe means sufficiently proximate to said first probe means so as to permit an entrance of said second optical fiber to receive a residual illumination from an exit of said first fiber, said residual illumination having passed though a portion of the tissue, and for producing an output signal representative of at least a portion of said received illumination; (c) a penetrating probe holder for providing a holding structure for maintaining said first and second penetrating probe means in a predetermined alignment; (d) a computer for receiving said output signal, and for comparing said output signal to a library of known optical reference characteristics and reference criteria, and for determining a presence, absence, or level of a target tissue component based upon said comparison, and for generating a second output signal based upon said comparison. 25. The medical device of claim 24, further comprising an optical marker for tagging said tissue with an identifiable optical signal. 26. The medical device of claim 25, wherein said optical marker is a fluorescent dye. 27. The device of claim 24 wherein said computer determines the pr esence or absence of a target tissue component selected from group consisting of blood oxygenation and a level of exogenous dye. 28. The device of claim 27 wherein said exogenous dye is a colored marker of blood flow. 29. The device of claim 27 wherein said exogenous dye is a pigmented drug, and said second output signal is a function of the concentration of the dye in vivo. 30. The device of claim 24 wherein said reference criteria include one or more criteria selected from the group consisting of blood volume, blood flow, blood oxygenation, light absorbance, and light scattering. 494711, 19960200, Takeda et al., 427/473; US-5514484, 19960500, Nashimoto, 428/700; US-5515047, 19960500, Yamakido et al., 341/153; US-5515810, 19960500, Yamashita, 117/017; US-5528067, 19960600, Farb, 257/401; US-5528414, 19960600, Oakley, 359/257; US-5556463, 19960900, Guenzer, 117/090; US-5576879, 19961100, Nashimoto, 359/248; US-5577137, 19961100, Groger et al., 385/012; US-5588995, 19961200, Sheldon, 117/201; US-5606184, 19970200, Abrokwah et al., 257/192; US-5614739, 19970300, Abrokwah et al., 257/192; US-5640267, 19970600, May et al., 359/322; US-5656382, 19970800, Nashimoto, 428/620; U