Patent ID: 7289849

Claim:
A method comprising: identifying a regurgitant mitral or tricuspid valve in a patient; implanting a cardiac rhythm management device in the patient for delivering pacing therapy to the heart through one or more pacing electrodes; delivering ventricular pacing therapy and pacing therapy in a manner which excites an atrium during ventricular systole, referred to as secondary atrial pacing; delivering the secondary atrial pacing with timing based upon ventricular events such that a secondary atrial pace is delivered at a secondary ventricular-atrio interval subsequent to a ventricular pace or sense; and, delivering left ventricular pacing therapy based upon right ventricular senses, wherein a secondary ventricular-atrio interval of one specified duration is initiated by a left ventricular pace while a secondary ventricular-atrio interval of another duration is triggered by a right ventricular sense.