Patent ID: 8923966

Claim:
A method comprising: delivering pacing stimulation energy to a heart of a subject using a medical device, wherein the stimulation energy includes a first energy level; changing the stimulation energy level by at least one of: a) increasing the stimulation energy from the first energy level until detecting that the pacing stimulation energy induces cardiac capture, or b) reducing the stimulation energy from the first energy level until detecting that the stimulation energy fails to induce cardiac capture; continuing the changing of the stimulation energy level until confirming the inducement of stable cardiac capture or the failure to induce capture; and calculating, with the medical device, a safety margin of the pacing stimulation energy using at least one of: a determined stability of an evoked response parameter; and a range of energy levels corresponding to intermittent failure to induce capture, wherein the safety margin is indicative of a stimulation energy range between detected cardiac capture and the stable cardiac capture.