A method and implantable medical device for determining a flutter event in response to a cardiac signal that includes sensing the cardiac signal, determining a sensing window in response to the sensed cardiac signal, the sensing window having a first portion and a second portion. A first derivative signal and a second derivative signal are determined in response to the sensed cardiac signal within the first portion and the second portion of the sensing window, and a sum of amplitudes of the second derivative signal within one or both of the first portion and the second portion of the sensing window is determined, and the flutter event is determined in response to the determined sum of amplitudes.