An implantable heart monitor (IHM) implanted in a patient's body having electrogram
(EGM) sense electrodes coupled with EGM sense circuitry to generate sense events
upon detection of cardiac depolarizations and a blood pressure measurement transducer
disposed in a heart chamber and coupled with blood pressure measurement circuitry
operates to assess heart failure state as a function of mechanical pulsus alternans
(MPA). MPA episodes are detected, and MPA characteristics of the MPA episode are
used alone or as a group as a diagnostic marker of HF state. The MPA episode data
set can be stored in memory associated with a time and date stamp. The MPA characteristics
of each MPA data set in a series of MPA data sets collected over time can be compared
or plotted to determine if a trend indicative of change in HF state is discernible.
