Improved conductive implant to implant communication for use with implantable medical devices

An implantable medical device (IMD) configured to communicate using conductive implant-to-implant (i2i) communication with another IMD that is remotely located relative to the IMD, the IMD comprising:

• a plurality of electrodes;
• a conductive communication transceiver coupled to at least two electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and configured to selectively transmit outgoing conductive i2i communication messages that are intended for the other IMD, and configured to receive incoming conductive i2i communication messages from the other IMD;
• a controller operatively coupled to the conductive communication transceiver and configured to control when the IMD is in a first conductive i2i communication mode and when the IMD is in a second conductive i2i communication mode that consumes on average less power per cardiac cycle than the first conductive i2i communication mode;
• the controller further configured to
• control the conductive communication transceiver to transmit outgoing conductive i2i communication messages that includes event markers and to attempt to receive valid incoming conductive i2i communication messages that include event markers from the other IMD while the IMD is in the first conductive i2i communication mode;
• detect when a quantity of possible incoming conductive i2i communication messages that are determined to be invalid during a first specified period reach an invalid message count threshold while the IMD is in the first conductive i2i communication mode, and in response thereto, cause a switch from the first conductive i2i communication mode to the second conductive i2i communication mode;
• and
• control, while the IMD is in the second conductive i2i communication mode, the conductive communication transceiver to transmit outgoing conductive i2i beacon messages to the other IMD less frequently than the outgoing conductive i2i communication messages transmitted when the IMD is in the first conductive i2i communication mode.