Patent ID: 7142916

Claim:
A method for one of delivering and withholding delivery of an extra-systolic stimulation cardiac pacing therapy, comprising: sensing electrical activity of a heart to provide a heart rate signal for said heart; correlating the heart rate signal and an extra-systolic interval for an extra-systolic stimulation therapy to a data set having at least a plurality of heart rates and a plurality of extra-systolic intervals; and based on the correlation either delivering or inhibiting delivery of the extra-systolic stimulation therapy, wherein the data set includes empiric heart rate-based guidance for refractory period changes of a chamber of the heart for a plurality of heart rates, and evoked response information, and wherein said information is derived from measurements of an evoked response from the extra-systolic stimulation therapy, said information establishing, for at least one cardiac cycle, a refractory period of the chamber of the heart.