An implantable medical device includes an arrhythmia detection and
classification system that classifies an arrhythmia episode based on an
irregularity parameter and/or a complexity parameter. The arrhythmia
episode is detected from a cardiac signal. The irregularity parameter is
indicative of the degree of cycle length irregularity of the cardiac
signal and the complexity parameter is indicative of the degree of
morphological complexity of the cardiac signal. One example of the
irregularity parameter is an irregularity sample entropy, or a parameter
related to the irregularity sample entropy, computed to indicate the
cycle length irregularity. One example of the complexity parameter is a
complexity sample entropy, or a parameter related to the complexity
sample entropy, computed to indicate the morphological complexity. In one
embodiment, the detected arrhythmia episode is classified using both the
irregularity parameter and the complexity parameter.