Methods, devices and program products are provided for managing a pacing therapy using an implantable medical device (IMD). The methods, devices and program products sense cardiac activity (CA) signals at electrodes located proximate to multiple left ventricular (LV) sites and a right ventricular (RV) site of the heart and utilizing one or more processors to measure activation times between the multiple LV sites and the RV site based on the CA signals. The processors program an order of activation for the multiple LV sites based on the activation times and identify an RV activation time and a septum activation time based on the CA signals. The processors calculate a septum to RV activation time (SRAT) based on the RV and septum activation times and program an AV.sub.SRAT delay based on the SRAT.

An apparatus comprises a cardiac signal sensing circuit configured for coupling electrically to a plurality of electrodes and to sense intrinsic cardiac activation at three or more locations within a subject's body using the electrodes; a stimulus circuit configured for coupling to the plurality of electrodes; a signal processing circuit electrically coupled to the cardiac signal sensing circuit and configured to determine a baseline intrinsic activation vector according to the sensed intrinsic cardiac activation; and a control circuit electrically coupled to the cardiac signal sensing circuit and stimulus circuit and configured to: initiate delivery of electrical pacing therapy using initial pacing parameters determined according to the baseline intrinsic activation vector; initiate sensing of a paced activation vector; and adjust one or more pacing therapy parameters according to the paced activation vector.

Systems and methods for monitoring and treating patients with heart failure are discussed. The system can store in a memory stimulation parameters, including stimulation timing parameters for a plurality of heart rate ranges. The system includes a plurality of timers with respective durations for the plurality of heart rate ranges. A stimulation control circuit can identify a target heart range in which a detected heart rate falls, and measure an atrioventricular (AV) conduction characteristic value in response to the timer for the target heart range being expired at the detected heart rate. The stimulation control circuit can update a stimulation parameter corresponding to the target heart rate range using the measured AV conduction characteristic. The updated stimulation parameter can be used in cardiac stimulation.

Systems and methods for monitoring and treating patients with heart failure are discussed. The system may receive patient atrioventricular (AV) conduction characteristic under different heart rates or patient conditions. Stimulation parameters including stimulation timing parameters may be stored in a memory. The system may include a stimulation control circuit configured to determine a parameter update schedule indicating a timing at which to update stimulation parameter using patient AV conduction characteristic, and dynamically update at least a portion of the stored set of stimulation parameters at the determined parameter update schedule. For a specified heart rate or heart rate range, a stimulation parameter may be selected from the set of the stimulation parameters for use during cardiac stimulation.

A pacemaker lead for cerclage pacing includes a lead fixing part including a fixing tip whose diameter becomes gradually smaller toward an end of a distal part thereof, a plurality of bipolar electrodes that come into close contact with heart muscle, in an outer circumference of the lead fixing part, and a guide wire insertion through hole through which a guide wire can be inserted thereinto, a lead body part configured to be extended to the lead fixing part, having a stylet insertion through hole formed therein, and a body fixing part formed in a bent shape so as to be fixed to an inner wall of the coronary sinus, and a stylet inserted into the stylet insertion through hole, enabling the pacemaker lead for cerclage pacing to be easily moved within the body of the patient.

Systems and methods for dynamically controlling HBP delivery based on patient AV conduction status are disclosed. An exemplary medical system includes an electrostimulation circuit to generate HBP pulses to stimulate a His bundle or a bundle branch of the heart. An AV conduction monitor circuit continuously or periodically assesses AV conduction status, and detects an indication of presence or absence of AV conduction abnormality. If an AV conduction abnormality is indicated, a control circuit may control the electrostimulation circuit to deliver the HBP pulses. Ventricular backup pacing may be delivered if HBP fails to capture and elicit ventricular activation. When the AV conduction become normal, the control circuit may withhold HBP delivery and promote patient intrinsic ventricular activation.

Systems and methods for evaluating electrostimulation of a heart are disclosed. A system can comprise an electrostimulation circuit that can deliver multi-site electrostimulation, including pacing at two or more sites of the heart during the same cardiac cycle. The system can comprise a heart sound sensor circuit configured to sense a heart sound (HS) signal during multi-site stimulation. The heart sound sensor circuit can also sense HS signals in response to uni-site stimulation at a specified site capturing at least a portion of the heart. The system can comprise a pacing analyzer circuit that uses the HS signals during the multi-site stimulation and during the uni-site stimulation to determine a capture status indication that indicates whether the multi-site stimulation captures the two or more sites of the heart, and can be one of a full capture indication, a partial capture indication, or a loss of capture indication.

A medical device and medical device system for delivering left ventricular pacing that includes a subcutaneous sensing device having a subcutaneous electrode to sense a subcutaneous cardiac signal and an emitting device to emit a trigger signal in response to the sensed cardiac signal, an intracardiac therapy delivery device to deliver the left ventricular pacing in response to the emitted trigger signal, and a processor configured to determine whether the medical device system is in one of a VVD pacing mode and a VVI pacing mode, determine whether the delivered left ventricular pacing captures the left ventricle, determine whether to adjust a pacing parameter in response to the determination of whether the device system is in one of a VVD pacing mode and a VVI pacing mode and the determination of whether the delivered left ventricular pacing captures the left ventricle, and deliver the left ventricular pacing in response to determining whether to adjust the pacing parameter.

Methods and devices are provided for, under control of one or more processors within an implantable medical device (IMD), delivering cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) at one or more pacing sites. The processors obtain cardiac signals, associated with a candidate beat, from multi-site left ventricular (MSLV) electrodes distributed along a left ventricle and analyze the cardiac signals to collect at least one of a MSLV conduction pattern or a MSLV morphology. The processors compare at least one of the MSLV conduction pattern or MSLV morphology to one or more associated templates. The processors then label the candidate beat as a pseudo-fusion beat based on the comparing and adjust the CRT based on the labeling.

Computer implemented methods, devices and systems for monitoring a trend in heart failure (HF) progression are provided. The method comprises sensing left ventricular (LV) activation events at multiple LV sensing sites along a multi-electrode LV lead. The activation events are generated in response to an intrinsic or paced ventricular event. The method implements program instructions on one or more processors for automatically determining a conduction pattern (CP) across the LV sensing sites based on the LV activation events, identifying morphologies (MP) for cardiac signals associated with the LV activation events and repeating the sensing, determining and identifying operations, at select intervals, to build a CP collection and an MP collection. The method calculates an HF trend based on the CP collection and MP collection and classifies a patient condition based on the HF trend to form an HF assessment.