This document discusses, among other things, a cardiac rhythm management
device or other implantable medical device that uses thoracic impedance
to determine how much fluid is present in the thorax, such as for
detecting or predicting congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema,
pleural effusion, hypotension, or the like. The thoracic fluid amount
determined from the thoracic impedance is compensated for changes in
blood resistivity, which may result from changes in hematocrit level or
other factors. The blood-resistivity-compensated thoracic fluid amount
can be stored in the device or transmitted to an external device for
storage or display. The blood-resistivity-compensated thoracic fluid
amount can also be used to adjust a cardiac pacing, cardiac
resynchronization, or other cardiac rhythm management or other therapy to
the patient. This document also discusses applications of the devices and
methods for predicting or indicating anemia.