Patent ID: 6415180
Filing Date: 2002-07-02
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
A cardiac rhythm management device for stimulating a ventricle of a patient's heart, said rhythm management device including:(a) circuitry for sensing and tracking independently atrial and ventricular depolarization events over a plurality of programmed timing and pacing intervals, and transmitting signals corresponding to sensed and tracked atrial and ventricular events; (b) a controller including an element for receiving signals corresponding to said sensed and tracked atrial and ventricular depolarization events and which is coupled to said plurality of programmed timing and pacing intervals, said controller having a preset ventricular tracking protocol, wherein said controller implementing said preset ventricular tracking protocol is capable of distinguishing during a cardiac cycle an intrinsic ventricular depolarization from ectopic depolarizations when an intrinsic atrial depolarization is sensed prior to the end of a preset preceding post ventricular atrial refractory period timing interval; and (c) wherein said ventricular tracking protocol includes delaying activation of said circuitry for ventricular tracking for a predetermined number of cardiac cycles before an intrinsic ventricular depolarization event is sensed wherein said protocol avoids ventricular rate oscillation.