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First tests on newly beheaded convicts.
The idea of reviving the heart using electrical discharges first appeared when European doctors did the first tests on newly beheaded convicts. -
First simulations
German cardiologist Hugo von Ziemssen was successful in carrying out the first simulations using electrical stimulus in the myocardium. -
Pacemaker precursor
The American doctor Albert S. Hyman developed a device - which weighed 7 kilos, was moved by a watch and needed winding every 6 minutes - managed to revive a patient's heart with electrical discharges that were conducted from the device to the chest through a needle. However, the initial version was unsafe, as it could potentially electrocute the user. -
First pacemaker
The Swedish Rune Elmqvist developed for surgeon Ake Senning a much lighter and safer model, composed of a pacemaker with silicon transistors to be implanted under the skin. The device, which weighed about 60 grams and worked with nickel and cadmium batteries, was used for the first time in October of the same year, in a patient named Arne Larsson. -
Production of the first electrodes
Production of the first permanent endocardial pacemaker electrodes; that pass through a patient's vein to the heart. This reduced the risk of the pacemaker implantation procedure. -
Commercial Rechargeable Pacemaker
Launch of the first commercial rechargeable pacemaker. With the ability to recharge the battery, the life expectancy of the pacemaker has gone from one and a half years to 20 years. -
Single chip
Launch of the first single chip pacemaker. This advance greatly reduced the size of the device and improved its reliability. -
Launch of the first pacemaker with frequency modulation
This device allows to stimulate both the atrium of the heart and the ventricle, more similarly imitating the natural rhythm of the heart. In the case of frequency modulation, this technology allowed the pacemaker to notice changes in a person's activity through body movement, breathing rate or temperature and then adjust the heart rate according to these parameters. -
The smallest pacemaker in the world
Microny, is the smallest pacemaker in the world, which was launched for use by children. It is about the size of a coin. In the same year, autocapture technology (Autocapture) is launched, which allows pacemakers to be constantly monitored and automatically adjust the amount of energy required for stimulation. -
Pacemaker in the 21st century
Currently, in more current versions, the device, which is implanted between the skin and the muscle, can even be remotely monitored by the doctor, by laptop or smartphones. The life span of the pacemaker ranges from 7 to 12 years and the battery is recharged by magnetic induction. -
Patient's life
Some devices, in addition to correcting the rhythm of blood pumping, can also detect cardiac arrest and send electrical impulses so that the heart returns to its normal rhythm. The pacemaker, then, brought the opportunity for patients to have a long and healthy life, with their hearts beating in the best possible way.
