Patent ID: 7031773

Claim:
An implantable cardiac stimulation system that provides autocapture and lead impedance assessment comprising: a pulse generator that provides pacing stimulation pulses; a lead system comprising a plurality of electrodes that provide a plurality of different electrode configurations; a switch that selectively couples the pulse generator to any one of the plurality of electrode configurations; an autocapture circuit that performs autocapture tests with the pulse generator coupled to a primary pacing electrode configuration, the autocapture circuit comprising a capture detector that detects evoked responses during an autocapture test with the capture detector coupled by the switch to a current one of the plurality of electrode configurations different from the primary pacing electrode configuration; and an impedance measuring circuit that measures lead impedance of the current one of the plurality of electrode configurations responsive to a failure in detecting an evoked response by the capture detector during an autocapture test and that causes the switch to couple the pulse generator to an electrode configuration other than the current one of the plurality of electrode configurations if the measured impedance is outside a predetermined impedance range.