Patent ID: 8060198

Claim:
A heart stimulation device comprising an atrial far-field sensing stage that is connectable or connected to a first electrode lead having at least one atrial sensing electrode for intra-atrial placement, wherein said atrial far-field sensing stage is configured to process electric signals picked up via said at least one atrial sensing electrode and to generate therefrom a far-field intra-atrial electrogram signal; a ventricular far-field sensing stage that is connectable or connected to a second electrode lead having at least one ventricular sensing electrode for intra-ventricular placement, wherein said ventricular far-field sensing stage is configured to process electric signals picked up via said at least one ventricular sensing electrode and to generate therefrom a far-field intra-ventricular electrogram signal; a processing unit that is coupled with said atrial far-field sensing stage and said ventricular far-field sensing stage and that is configured to independently filter, scale, and then sum said filtered and scaled far-field intra-atrial electrogram and said filtered and scaled far-field intra-ventricular electrogram to form a composite far-field electrogram signal; a telemetry unit that is at least indirectly connected to said processing unit and that is configured to transmit a data signal that represents said composite far-field electrogram signal; wherein said heart stimulation device comprises at least one stimulation pulse generator that is connectable or connected to an intra-ventricular stimulation electrode and that is configured to generate a ventricular stimulation pulse that is delivered via said intra-ventricular stimulation electrode; wherein said heart stimulation device comprises a control unit that is configured to control said atrial far-field sensing stage and/or said ventricular far-field sensing stage to be blanked, when said ventricular stimulation pulse is delivered, and generate a Ventricular Pace or VP marker signal when said ventricular stimulation pulse is delivered; and, wherein said processing unit is configured to add a predefined VP spike template to said composite far-field electrogram signal when said VP marker signal is received.