Pacing mode event classification with increased ventricular sensing

An implantable medical device (IMD) comprising:

• a processor;
• a pulse generator in communication with the processor for selectively providing cardiac pacing stimuli;
• a lead system operably coupled to the pulse generator and the processor to deliver the cardiac pacing stimuli and to sense electrical signals representative of cardiac data;
• a ventricular pacing protocol (VPP) module operably coupled to the processor and configured to receive data indicative of a sensed ventricular event in a first cardiac cycle and to preclude cardiac pacing in a second cardiac cycle immediately subsequent to the first cardiac cycle;
• a pacing control module coupled with the processor and configured to initiate a first post atrial ventricular blanking period (PAVB) following an atrial pacing pulse if a first condition is met and initiate a second PAVB, longer in duration than the first PAVB, if a second condition is met and to run a crosstalk window during which sensed ventricular events are classified as a PVC unless a predetermined number of immediately preceding cardiac cycles each contained a ventricular event sensed during their respective crosstalk windows in which case the current event is classified as crosstalk, wherein the first condition is when a ventricular pacing pulse has not been provided within a first predetermined interval prior to the atrial pacing and the second condition is when a ventricular pacing pulse has been provided within the first predetermined interval prior to the atrial pacing pulse.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for operating an implantable medical device (IMD) according to a ventricular pacing protocol (VPP) wherein a sensed ventricular event in a first cardiac cycle precludes cardiac pacing in a second cardiac cycle immediately subsequent to the first cardiac cycle;
• means for initiating a first post atrial ventricular blanking (PAVB) interval following an atrial pacing pulse under a first condition;
• means for initiating a second PAVB following the atrial pacing pulse under a second condition, wherein the first PAVB is shorter in duration than the second PAVB, wherein the first condition is when a ventricular pacing pulse has not been provided within a first predetermined interval prior to the atrial pacing and the second condition is when a ventricular pacing pulse has been provided within the first predetermined interval prior to the atrial pacing pulse;
• and
• means for providing a crosstalk window subsequent to the atrial pacing pulse during which time sensing is permitted on a ventricular channel and events sensed during the crosstalk window are evaluated according to a feed forward protocol.