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Abstract

A method and apparatus for optimizing the performance of a rate-responsive cardiac pacemaker. A pacemaker is provided which is capable of obtaining and storing information about a patient's cardiac function and about a pacemaker's operation during a brief exercise interval. The data collected includes information about the number of cardiac events during each two-second interval of the exercise, as well as the percentage of paced events during each two-second interval. Data reflecting the output of the pacemaker's activity sensor output is also collected for each two second interval of the test. In addition, AV interval data for each cardiac cycle during the test is collected, this data being distinguished according to whether it reflects atrial-pace-to-ventricular-sense or atrial-sense-to-ventricular-sense AV intervals. The disclosed pacemaker is operable in conjunction with an external programming/processing unit, which receives the stored data after the exercise test is concluded. The data is processed and presented on the programmer screen in a manner which enables the clinician to readily assimilate it and observe the effects of hypothetical changes in rate-response programming in the pacemaker. Additionally, the clinician is able to observe the programmed AV rate adaption profiles in conjunction with the patient's actual AV performance, and compare this data with an AV profile from a typical healthy heart.

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