Patent ID: 8755884

Claim:
A method for rate adaptive cardiac pacing that employs implanted electrodes for single chamber pacing and sensing, and the method comprising the steps of: establishing a baseline rate for pacing stimulation; establishing an offset rate for pacing stimulation, the offset rate being lower than the baseline rate; sensing for intrinsic events by means of the implanted electrodes; applying a pacing stimulation pulse by means of the implanted electrodes to maintain the offset rate; establishing a preference rate that falls between the baseline rate and the offset rate; and switching from the offset rate to the baseline rate and pacing at the baseline rate in response to intrinsic events meeting a criterion with respect to the preference rate, the criterion being one of: x of y successive intrinsic events falling below the preference rate, x being greater than one and y being greater than or equal to x; and a measure of central tendency of the rates of successive intrinsic events falling below the preference rate.