Who Made the First Defibrillator?

The first defibrillator dates back to the 1940s.

The defibrillator revolutionized cardiac sciences. Defibrillators shock a heart when a patient goes into cardiac arrest. The electrical shock helps return the heart to a normal rhythm.

Issues

Depending on how you define "first," several candidates might be termed inventor of the first defibrillator. Carl Ludwig found in 1849 that the heart worked through electrical stimulation. His insight helped lead the way to the first defibrillator, but he did not actually design one.

Meaning

The first persons who coined the term "defibrillation," which is the shock to the heart when it goes into cardiac arrest, were J.L. Prevost and F. Batelli. The two applied large doses of electricity to hearts, showing that the heart could continue its normal beating rhythm after undergoing arrest.

Invention

The first mechanical and practical defibrillator used in medical offices, hospitals, and ambulances dates back to 1947. Claude S. Beck, a cardiologist from the University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, utilized a defibrillation process to successfully save a human being's life. Since then, Beck has been considered the actual creator of the first defibrillator, though not without the help of others before him.

Beck's Defibrillator

Beck's defibrillator, housed in a bulky wooden box, looks little like modern devices, however, Beck's defibrillator incorporated the "paddles" that apply electricity to the chest, familiar to viewers of TV medical dramas.

References

• Washington University: History of Fibrillation and Defibrillation

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish