System and method for treating atrial arrhythmias

摘要

A system for defibrillating an atrial region of a heart experiencing a supraventricular arrhythmia. The defibrillation system senses and analyzes both atrial and ventricular cardiac signals of the heart to determine if the heart is experiencing a supraventricular arrhythmia. Upon detecting a supraventricular arrhythmia, the defibrillation system begins delivering a train of atrial pacing pulses to the atria of the heart and a series of ventricular pacing pulses to the ventricles of the heart to synchronize the contractions of the heart with the pacing pulses. The defibrillation system then delivers a defibrillation electrical energy pulse across the atrial region at a predetermined coupling interval time after delivering a final atrial pacing pulse and a final ventricular pacing pulse so that the defibrillation pulse will fall outside the occurrence of a T-wave of the heart, thus reducing the likelihood of inducing ventricular fibrillation.