The present invention provides a technique for verifying pacing capture of
a ventricular chamber, particularly to ensure desired delivery of a
ventricular pacing regime (e.g., cardiac resynchronization therapy or
"CRT"). The invention also provides for ventricular capture management by
delivering a single ventricular pacing stimulus and checking
inter-ventricular conduction during a temporal window to determine if the
ventricular pacing stimulus captured the chamber. If a loss-of-capture
(LOC) signal results from the capture management testing, then the
characteristics of the applied pacing pulses are modified and the
conduction test repeated. In the event that the LOC signal persists, a
pacing mode-switch to an atrial-based pacing therapy and/or
non-bi-ventricular pacing regimen can be implemented.