A system for analyzing a heart having a first cardiac valve and a second cardiac valve, the system comprising: a heart sound input to receive one or more signals each indicative of heart sounds; a heart sound detector, coupled to the heart sound input, to detect heart sounds of at least one predetermined type from the one or more signals; a computer-based heart sound morphology analyzer, coupled to the heart sound detector, to produce at least one dyssynchrony parameter indicative of a degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony, the heart sound morphology analyzer including a heart sound measurement module (424, 428) to measure one or more parameters each based on at least one morphological feature of the heart sounds of the at least one predetermined type, the at least one morphological feature indicative of a time interval between closures of the first cardiac valve and the second cardiac valve in one detected heart sound of the heart sounds of at least one predetermined type, the at least one dyssynchrony parameter produced based on the one or more measured parameters; and a pacing parameter optimization module adapted to optimize one or more pacing parameters based on the at least one dyssynchrony parameter, wherein the one or more pacing parameters are optimized when the at least one dyssynchrony parameter indicates a minimum degree of the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony, the minimum degree of the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony indicated by a minimum value of the time interval between the closures of the first cardiac valve and the second cardiac valve in one detected heart sound of the heart sounds of at least one predetermined type. a heart sound input to receive one or more signals each indicative of heart sounds; a heart sound detector, coupled to the heart sound input, to detect heart sounds of at least one predetermined type from the one or more signals; a computer-based heart sound morphology analyzer, coupled to the heart sound detector, to produce at least one dyssynchrony parameter indicative of a degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony, the heart sound morphology analyzer including a heart sound measurement module (424, 428) to measure one or more parameters each based on at least one morphological feature of the heart sounds of the at least one predetermined type, the at least one morphological feature indicative of a time interval between closures of the first cardiac valve and the second cardiac valve in one detected heart sound of the heart sounds of at least one predetermined type, the at least one dyssynchrony parameter produced based on the one or more measured parameters; and a pacing parameter optimization module adapted to optimize one or more pacing parameters based on the at least one dyssynchrony parameter, wherein the one or more pacing parameters are optimized when the at least one dyssynchrony parameter indicates a minimum degree of the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony, the minimum degree of the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony indicated by a minimum value of the time interval between the closures of the first cardiac valve and the second cardiac valve in one detected heart sound of the heart sounds of at least one predetermined type.