Criteria for optimal electrical resynchronization derived from multipolar leads or multiple electrodes during biventricular pacing

1. A method of cardiac pacing employing a right ventricular electrode and a plurality of left ventricular electrodes, comprising:

a) pacing in a first pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a first one of the left ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes;

b) pacing in a second pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a second one of the ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes; and

c) employing weighted sums of the measured activation times to select one of the left ventricular electrodes for delivery of subsequent pacing pulses, the weighted sums employing each non-pacing left ventricular electrode's physical distance from the left ventricular pacing electrode, wherein each sum being a weighted sum of the activation times measured at respective non-pacing left ventricular electrodes during a respective pacing.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the first one or the second one of the left ventricular electrodes has a lowest measured activation time when pacing from the right ventricular electrode.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a first electrical dyssynchrony index (EDI) associated with the first one and a second EDI for the second one.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining which left ventricular electrode produces a lesser EDI during biventricular pacing.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising selecting one or more of the left ventricular electrodes for delivery of subsequent pacing pulses.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein selecting one of the left ventricular electrodes is based upon the lesser EDI.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising comparing a EDI for each of the left ventricular electrodes.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising sorting the EDI for each of the left ventricular electrodes.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising selecting two or more left ventricular electrodes from which to pace.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a left ventricular quadripolar lead is employed.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the left ventricular quadripolar lead includes a left ventricular electrode spaced about 1.5 millimeters away from another left ventricular electrode.

12. A machine readable non-transitory medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the system to perform a method of cardiac pacing employing a right ventricular electrode and a plurality of left ventricular electrodes, comprising:

a) pacing in a first pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a first one of the left ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes;

b) pacing in a second pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a second one of the ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes; and

c) employing weighted sums of the measured activation times to select one of the left ventricular electrodes for delivery of subsequent pacing pulses, the weighted sums employing each non-pacing left ventricular electrode's physical distance from the left ventricular pacing electrode, wherein each sum being a weighted sum of the activation times measured at respective non-pacing left ventricular electrodes during a respective pacing.

13. The medium of claim 12 , further comprising employing differences between the measured activation times in conjunction with the sums to select the one of the left ventricular electrodes.

14. The medium of claim 12 , further comprising determining a EDI achieved in response to differences between the measured activation times.

15. The medium of claim 14 , further comprising determining which left ventricular electrode produces a lesser EDI during biventricular pacing.

16. The medium of claim 15 , further comprising selecting one or more of the left ventricular electrodes for delivery of subsequent pacing pulses.

17. The medium of claim 12 wherein selecting one of the left ventricular electrodes is based upon a lesser EDI.

18. The medium of claim 12 further comprising comparing a EDI for each of the left ventricular electrodes.

19. The medium of claim 12 further comprising sorting the EDI for each of the left ventricular electrodes.

20. A system of cardiac pacing employing a right ventricular electrode and a plurality of left ventricular electrodes, comprising:

a) processing means for pacing in a first pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a first one of the left ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes;

b) processing means for pacing in a second pacing configuration using the right ventricular electrode and a second one of the ventricular electrodes and measuring activation times at other ones of the left ventricular electrodes; and

c) processing means for employing weighted sums of the measured activation times to select one of the left ventricular electrodes for delivery of subsequent pacing pulses, the weighted sums employing each non-pacing left ventricular electrode's physical distance from the left ventricular pacing electrode, wherein each sum being a weighted sum of the activation times measured at respective non-pacing left ventricular electrodes during a respective pacing.

21. The system of cardiac pacing employing a right ventricular electrode and a plurality of left ventricular electrodes of claim 20 , further comprising:

processing means for selecting an optimal left ventricular electrode from one of the first and second ones of the left ventricular electrodes; and

displaying means for displaying the optimal left ventricular pacing electrode.