Abstract: A cardiac rhythm management system provides cross-chamber “soft blanking.” It senses desired electrical heart activity signals associated with a first chamber electrode while reducing unwanted signals (paces and depolarizations) associated with a second chamber of the heart. Detection of a cross-chamber event associated with the second chamber increase a time-varying first chamber sensing threshold, but does not result in completely ignoring signals associated with the first chamber for an appreciable amount of time. As a result, actual first chamber events are less likely to escape detection, such that critically important therapy is properly delivered to the patient.