Patent ID: 7761151

Claim:
A cardiac rhythm management device, comprising: a plurality of stimulation channels for delivering electrical stimulation to a plurality of ventricular sites; a controller programmed to operate the device in either a normal operating mode or a high-energy stimulation mode; wherein the controller is programmed to periodically switch from the normal operating mode to the high-energy stimulation mode according to a defined schedule; an exertion level sensor for measuring an exertion level; wherein the controller is programmed to switch to the high-energy stimulation mode only if the measured exertion level is below a predetermined threshold; wherein, in the normal operating mode, the controller is programmed to deliver pacing pulses in accordance with a programmed pacing mode to a single ventricular site; and, wherein, in the high-energy stimulation mode, the controller is programmed to deliver high-energy excitatory electrical stimulation to a plurality of ventricular sites as pacing pulses at an energy higher than the energy of the pacing pulses delivered in the normal operating mode.