Patent ID: 8521275

Claim:
A method, comprising: sensing first cardiac events occurring in a heart chamber using a first cardiac electrode pair; sensing second cardiac events occurring in the heart chamber using a second cardiac electrode pair; estimating a first heart rate using the first cardiac events; comparing the first heart rate to a heart rate threshold; estimating a second heart rate using the second cardiac events in response to the first heart rate exceeding the heart rate threshold; comparing the first heart rate and the second heart rate; determining a patient heart rate exceeding the heart rate threshold in response to the second heart rate being within a predetermined matching range of the first heart rate; determining the patient heart rate to be a lower one of the first heart rate and the second heart rate in response to the second heart rate not being within the predetermined matching range of the first heart rate; determining whether the second cardiac events are unreliable; and setting the second heart rate equal to the first heart rate in response to the second cardiac events being unreliable.