Patent ID: 8744576

Claim:
An implantable medical device for use in delivering cardiac therapy to a patient comprising: sensing apparatus configured to monitor a patient's intrinsic AV conduction time, wherein the sensing apparatus comprises at least one electrode; a therapy delivery module configured to deliver cardiac therapy to the patient; and a control module coupled to the sensing apparatus and to the therapy delivery module and configured to: provide a paced atrioventricular (AV) delay and a sensed AV delay for use in delivering cardiac therapy, initiate delivery of cardiac therapy based on at least one of the paced AV delay and the sensed AV delay, sample the patient's intrinsic AV conduction time during the delivery of cardiac therapy, wherein, to sample the patient's intrinsic AV conduction time, the control module is further configured to: change the paced AV delay to a first measurement AV delay and the sensed AV delay to a second measurement AV delay to provide a time period during which to measure the patient's intrinsic AV conduction time, wherein the first measurement AV delay is based on at least one of the paced AV delay and a previously-sampled intrinsic AV conduction time, wherein the second measurement AV delay is based on at least one of the sensed AV delay and a previously-sampled intrinsic AV conduction time, and measure the patient's intrinsic AV conduction time using the sensing apparatus prior to the expiration of one of the paced AV delay and the sensed AV delay; and set the paced AV delay and the sensed AV delay based on the sampled patient's intrinsic AV conduction time such that ventricular pacing occurs prior to intrinsic ventricular events, wherein the first measurement AV delay is based on at least one previously-sampled intrinsic AV conduction time increased by a first offset delay, and wherein the second measurement AV delay is based on at least one previously-sampled intrinsic AV conduction time increased by a second offset delay.