Wilson Greatbatch's Ingenious Invention Of The Cardiac Pacemaker

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with heart defects including bradyarrhythmia, heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Until the 1980’s, being diagnosed with these defects would mean a complete change in lifestyle. This mindset changed when Wilson Greatbatch introduced the cardiac pacemaker. The cardiac pacemaker is an ingenious invention that has allowed thousands of patients with heart defects to lead normal, active lives. The pacemaker is a small apparatus that surgeons can implant into a patient’s chest to regulate abnormal heart rhythms. Pacemakers are used to treat patients with heart beats that are much faster or slower than usual. These irregular heartbeats are called arrhythmias. The problem with arrhythmias is that not enough blood gets pumped through the body, which can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and even fainting. The pacemaker’s job is to help regulate the heartbeat and alleviate arrhythmias symptoms. The pacemaker regulates heartbeat by using electrical signals to cause the heart muscles to contract in constant intervals. It is also able to sense when the heart is maintaining a regular heartbeat. When this

Von Zeimssen used electric current to control ventricular activity, unfortunately the results were fatal. Years later in the 1930’s a more reliable, yet painful variation of the pacemaker was created. This version consisted of portable hand-crank generators that transmitted electric pulses via a long needle. Scientists continued to work on this invention until, in 1960, the first successful pacemaker implantation allowed an eighty year old man to live an extra year longer. Twenty years later, Wilson Greatbatch created a design that was sure to last long and facilitate patients daily activities. His model is now used as the modern day design for the