Patent ID: 7734346

Claim:
An implantable medical device comprising: an electrode adapted for implantation relative to a chamber of the heart for sensing cardiac signals; a pulse generator, coupled to the electrode, to deliver pacing pulses to a chamber of the heart; and a processor for receiving the cardiac signals sensed by the electrode and to discriminate between a sensed cardiac signal being an arrhythmia triggering type premature contraction and a sensed cardiac signal being a non-arrhythmia triggering type premature contraction, and to selectively control the pulse generator based on the determination of the type of sensed cardiac signal, the processor comprising means for performing the following functions: identifying signals indicative of premature contractions within a chamber of a heart; determining whether arrhythmias follow the sensed signals indicative of premature contractions; using the sensed signals indicative of premature contractions and the following arrhythmias to define criteria indicative of whether a subsequent sensed signal indicative of a premature contraction is an arrhythmia triggering type and storing the criteria in the pacemaker; identifying a subsequent signal indicative of a premature contraction within the chamber of the heart; determining whether the subsequent signal indicative of a premature contraction is an arrhythmia triggering type premature contraction or a non-arrhythmia triggering type premature contraction; and controlling delivery of pacing pulses by the pulse generator based on the determination.