Patent ID: 7818051

Claim:
A method for acquiring a signal approximating a surface electrocardiogram (ECG) using an implantable medical device, the method comprising: receiving an ECG acquisition command using a command receiver of the implantable medical device; programming a pass band of a sensing circuit of the implantable medical device, the sensing circuit programmable for at least a surface ECG pass band and an intracardiac electrogram pass band, the programming the pass band caused by a processor of the implantable medical device in response to the ECG acquisition command and including programming the pass band to the surface ECG pass band; programming a sense interface of the implantable medical device to electrically connect at least two implantable electrodes to the sensing circuit, the programming the sense interface caused by the processor of the implantable medical device in response to the ECG acquisition command; and sensing a cardiac signal after the pass band of the sensing circuit and the sense interface are programmed in response to the ECG acquisition command.