Patent ID: 7519423

Claim:
A method of pacing opposing chambers of a heart with a pacing system, the pacing system comprising a first bipolar medical electrical lead having at least one first electrode configured for positioning in a first opposing chamber of the heart, a second bipolar medical electrical lead having at least one second electrode configured for positioning in a second opposing chamber of the heart, an implantable pulse generator operably connected to the first and second bipolar medical electrical leads, the implantable pulse generator further comprising an hermetically sealed housing capable of serving as a can electrode, and means for switching electrode configurations between the first electrode and the can electrode, between the second electrode and the can electrode, between the first electrode and the second electrode and between the second electrode and the first electrode, the method comprising: determining a primary electrode configuration; selecting a cathode from the first electrode, the second electrode and the can electrode based on the primary electrode configuration; selecting an anode from the first electrode, the second electrode and the can electrode based on the primary electrode configuration; delivering a first pulse between the cathode and the anode; determining a first threshold of the first opposing chamber; determining a second threshold of the second opposing chamber; and selecting the first electrode as the cathode if the first threshold is higher than the second threshold.