An implantable stimulation device delivers a stimulation pulse in the ventricular
chamber of a patient's heart and automatically adjusts a post-ventricular atrial
blanking period. The stimulation device generates a ventricular stimulation pulse
to trigger an evoked response, in order to produce a ventricular far-field signal
that follows a successfully captured ventricular stimulation pulse. The stimulation
device further includes an atrial sense circuit that senses the ventricular far-field
signal, and a control system that adaptively segments the post-ventricular atrial
blanking period in a post-ventricular atrial blanking period (PVAB) which is fixed
in duration, and a variable far-field interval (FFI) window. PVAB is initiated
upon the delivery of the ventricular stimulation pulse, such that events sensed
outside the segmented post-ventricular atrial blanking (SPVAB) period are presumed
to be intrinsic atrial events, and events sensed within the far-field interval
window are presumed to be far-field signals. The far-field interval window is preferably
centered on a previously sensed far-field R-wave. If an intrinsic ventricular event
is sensed, the stimulation device does not initiate the PVAB period but rather
sets the FFI window.