Implantable medical device with ventricular pacing management of elevated heart rates

摘要

An implantable medical device operates to promote intrinsic ventricular depolarization according to a pacing protocol. When a cardiac rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the implantable medical device modifies the pacing protocol parameters to promote AV synchrony.

主权项

1. An implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:
means for sensing atrial events; means for sensing ventricular events; means for providing cardiac pacing; means for processing the sensed atrial and ventricular events and controlling the means for cardiac pacing in compliance with a Ventricular Pacing Protocol; means for sensing a cardiac rate; and means for comparing the cardiac rate to a first threshold and controlling the Ventricular Pacing Protocol if the sensed cardiac rate exceeds the threshold, wherein the VPP Protocol comprises operating the IMD to operate in a first level of operation that triggers a pulse generator responsive to sensed atrial events to maintain atrial-ventricular (AV) synchrony and in a second level of operation that does not trigger the pulse generator responsive to sensed atrial events and permits cardiac cycles devoid of both ventricular pacing pulses and sensed ventricular events; and wherein the VPP Protocol operation changes from the second level of operation to the first level of operation responsive to the determined cardiac rate exceeding the first threshold.