Method and apparatus for detecting arrhythmias in a subcutaneous medical device

1. A method of treating a cardiac event of a heart generating a cardiac signal representative of at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and a plurality of repolarizations of the heart, the treating of the cardiac event being conducted by a medical device having a plurality of electrodes and therapeutic componentry having an armed state and an unarmed state, comprising:

sensing the cardiac signal with the plurality of electrodes while the therapeutic componentry is in the unarmed state, the plurality of electrodes forming a first sensing vector and a second sensing vector;

if at least one of a plurality of intervals between ones of the at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the at least one of the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed along at least one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is less than a predetermined threshold corresponding to the cardiac event; then

determining a reliability of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector based, at least in part, on:

a first subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and relative to a predetermined threshold and a second subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector and relative to the predetermined threshold, respectively; and

a morphology of a subset of the plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed only by the first sensing vector and only by the second sensing vector, respectively; and

if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable, advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector simultaneously with the first sensing vector; else

if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is reliable, advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first subset of the plurality of intervals occur, at least in part, later in time than the second subset of the plurality of intervals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first subset of the plurality of intervals occur no later than the second subset of the plurality of intervals.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interval is an R-R interval.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step, if neither the first sensing vector nor the second sensing vector are reliable, of maintaining the therapeutic componentry in the unarmed state.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first subset of the plurality of intervals and the second subset of the plurality of intervals are sensed during a predetermined window.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined window is between 0.5 and 10 seconds.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the heart rate of the advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable step is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector after the first subset of the plurality of intervals and more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector after the second subset of the plurality of intervals simultaneously with the first sensing vector; and

wherein the heart rate of the advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector step is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable after the respective first and second subset of the plurality of intervals.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the heart rate of the advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable step is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector immediately after the first subset of the plurality of intervals and more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector immediately after the second subset of the plurality of intervals simultaneously with the first sensing vector; and

wherein the heart rate of the advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector step is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable immediately after the respective first and second subset of the plurality of intervals.

10. An implantable medical device for treating a cardiac event of a heart generating a cardiac signal representative of at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and a plurality of repolarizations of the heart, comprising:

a plurality of electrodes sensing cardiac signals, the plurality of electrodes forming a first sensing vector and a second sensing vector;

therapeutic componentry operatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes and having an armed state and an unarmed state;

a processor determining, if at least one of a plurality of intervals between ones of the at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed along at least one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector while the therapeutic componentry is in the unarmed state is less than a predetermined threshold corresponding to the cardiac event, then determining a reliability of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector based, at least in part, on:

a first subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and relative to a predetermined threshold and a second subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector and relative to the predetermined threshold, respectively; and

a morphology of a subset of the plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed only by the first sensing vector and only by the second sensing vector, respectively; and

a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to:

advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector simultaneously with the first sensing vector; else

advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is reliable based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the device is positioned non-transvenously.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector after the first subset of the plurality of intervals and more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector after the second subset of the plurality of intervals simultaneously with the first sensing vector; and

wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable after the respective first and second subset of the plurality of intervals.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector immediately after the first subset of the plurality of intervals and more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector immediately after the second subset of the plurality of intervals simultaneously with the first sensing vector; and

wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is defined b more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable immediately after the respective first and second subset of the plurality of intervals.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the interval is an R-R interval.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector immediately after the first subset of the plurality of intervals and more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector immediately after the second subset of the plurality of intervals simultaneously with the first sensing vector; and

wherein the heart rate utilized by the controller to advance the therapeutic componentry to the armed state if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is defined by more than one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable immediately after the respective first and second subset of the plurality of intervals.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined sensing window is between 0.5 and 10 seconds.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method of treating a cardiac event of a heart generating a cardiac signal representative of at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and a plurality of repolarizations of the heart, the treating of the cardiac event being conducted by a medical device having a plurality of electrodes and therapeutic componentry having an armed state and an unarmed state, comprising:

sensing the cardiac signal with the plurality of electrodes while the therapeutic componentry is in the unarmed state, the plurality of electrodes forming a first sensing vector and a second sensing vector;

if at least one of a plurality of intervals between ones of the at least one of a plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the at least one of the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed along at least one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is less than a predetermined threshold corresponding to the cardiac event; then

determining a reliability of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector based, at least in part, on:

a first subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and relative to a predetermined threshold and a second subset of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector and relative to the predetermined threshold, respectively; and

a morphology of a subset of the plurality of depolarizations of the heart and the plurality of repolarizations of the heart sensed only by the first sensing vector and only by the second sensing vector, respectively; and

if the first sensing vector is reliable and the second sensing vector is reliable, advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the first sensing vector and at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the second sensing vector simultaneously with the first sensing vector; else

if only one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector is reliable, advancing the therapeutic componentry to the armed state based, at least in part, on a heart rate defined by at least one of the plurality of intervals sensed only by the one of the first sensing vector and the second sensing vector which is reliable.