Patent ID: 7072714
Filing Date: 2006-07-04
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker for a heart, comprising: an atrial detection unit adapted to detect electrical signals in the atrium of the heart as atrial sense events; a ventricular detection unit adapted to detect electrical signals of a ventricle of the heart as ventricular sense events; a stimulation unit adapted at least to trigger the delivery of electrical pulses to the ventricle as ventricular stimulation events; and a control unit connected to the atrial and the ventricular detection units and the stimulation unit and adapted to control triggering of the delivery of pulses in dependence on the atrial detection unit and the ventricular detection unit such that pulse delivery to the ventricle is triggered after the expiry of an AV time after detection of an atrial sense event if prior to expiry of the AV time no ventricular sense event is detected by the ventricular detection unit, wherein the control unit is further adapted to divide ventricular sense events into at least two categories, of which a first category concerns ventricular sense events to be associated with natural stimulus conduction from the atrium to the ventricle and a second category concerns ventricular sense events to be associated with ventricular extrasystoles or premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and wherein control of the cardiac pacemaker is differentiated in accordance with whether a ventricular sense event is or is not associated with the first category, characterized in that for the control of triggering of pulse delivery an AV monitoring interval is provided in such a way that the AV monitoring interval is triggered by each atrial sense event which is outside an atrial refractory time, wherein the cardiac pacemaker is adapted to associate ventricular events occurring within the AV monitoring interval to the first category, and wherein the cardiac pacemaker is adapted, in the case of ventricular sense events which occur within the AV monitoring interval and outside the AV time, to start a VA interval which is prematurely concluded if an atrial sense event occurs prior to the expiry thereof.