Patent ID: 8706224
Filing Date: 2014-04-22
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device for implant within a patient, a method comprising the steps of: delivering paired pacing pulses to a chamber of the heart of the patient at an overdrive/underdrive pacing rate, wherein each of the paired pacing pulses comprises a primary pulse and a secondary pulse separated by an interval, and the interval between the primary pulse and the secondary pulse is such that there is no intrinsic depolarization of the chamber during the interval; for one of the delivered paired pacing pulses, measuring the width of an evoked response of the chamber of the heart resulting from the primary pulse and measuring the width of an evoked response of the chamber of the heart resulting from the secondary pulse; if the width of the evoked response resulting from the secondary pulse is less than the width of the evoked response resulting from the primary pulse, then adjusting the interval between the primary pulse and the secondary pulse of subsequent paired pacing pulses, and repeating the delivering, the measuring and the adjusting until the interval between the primary pulse and the secondary pulse of subsequent paired pacing pulses is at a duration sufficient to ensure that the width of the evoked response resulting from the secondary pulse is greater than the width of the evoked response resulting from the primary pulse.