Patent ID: 8290591

Claim:
A method for managing fusion, indeterminate or erroneous pacing responses, comprising: delivering a first pacing pulse to a heart during a capture threshold test for determining a capture threshold of the heart; sensing a cardiac response associated with the first pacing pulse; delivering one or more pacing pulses to the heart at a higher energy level that is expected to capture the heart if the cardiac response associated with the first pacing pulse is determined to be at least one of fusion, indeterminate, and erroneous; classifying one or more cardiac responses respectively associated with the one or more pacing pulses delivered at the higher energy level that is expected to capture the heart as at least one of capture, fusion, indeterminate and erroneous; continuing to deliver the one or more pacing pulses at the higher energy level that is expected to capture the heart if each of the one or more cardiac responses is classified as at least one of fusion, indeterminate, and erroneous, and wherein the capture threshold test is terminated if none of a predetermined number of the one or more pacing pulses delivered at the higher energy level that is expected to capture the heart produces the capture response.