Patent ID: 7389141

Claim:
A method for setting optimal pacing parameters for delivering cardiac resynchronization therapy to a patient, comprising: delivering biventricular pacing in an atrial tracking or AV sequential pacing mode with a specified atrio-ventricular (AVD) interval; measuring the interval from a right atrial sense or pace to a left atrial sense in the patient, designated as the RA-LA interval; initiating delivery of left atrial pacing if the RA-LA interval exceeds a specified threshold Th 1 , wherein the left atrial pacing is delivered at upon expiration of a specified left atrial escape interval triggered by a right atrial event; measuring a variable related to cardiac output; optimizing the AVD interval in a manner that maximizes cardiac output; optimizing the left atrial escape interval in a manner that maximizes cardiac output using the previously optimized AVD interval; and, re-optimizing the AVD interval in a manner that maximizes cardiac output using the previously optimized left atrial escape interval.