1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Get in tests with technology with text stuff from half 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to textuff 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 1: on Jonathan Stricklin. Today we're going to talk about pacemakers. 4 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: So these little medical devices that are incredible. I mean, 5 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: these are life saving devices that have made countless people's 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: lives better. It's impossible. It's it's when when the electrical 7 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: impulses of your heart are less good than they should be. Wait, whoa, 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: whoa electrical impulses, Lauren, Now you're talking crazy talk. What 9 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: do you mean electrical impulses. That's that's how the heart works. 10 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: There's crazy there. We we we have natural pacemakers, and 11 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: sometimes they work less well than others. But so yeah, 12 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: so so. Pacemakers are are small devices that are implanted 13 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: nearish the heart, in the general chest, airs, cavity, shoulder, 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: abdomen's where on there. They use low energy electrical impulses 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: to help control any abnormal heart rhythms um sometimes called 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: arrhythmias rhythmia. Thank you, I had an arrhythmia as a child, 17 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: did you. Yep? I had an arrhythmia and a heart murmur. 18 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: Wow that's exciting in the bad way. So anyway, so 19 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: those can be that your heart is beating either too fast, 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: too slow, or irregularly. And um, there are more long 21 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: words for all of those things, which right now there's 22 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: there's a tachycardia there you go, yeah, and breda cardia. Yes, 23 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: so those are the too so breda cardias if it's 24 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: beating too slowly, and tachycardia is when it's too quickly. Sure, 25 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: there's also other conditions that can that can wrap up 26 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: into needing a pacemaker a k A. M. Atrial fibrilation 27 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: in which the upper chambers of the heart kind of 28 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: quiver instead of really contracting. Yeah. So, in order for 29 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: you to really understand what we're talking about here, the 30 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: heart is divided up into four chambers right right, the 31 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: left and right atria, which are the upper chambers, and 32 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: the left and right ventricles, which are the lower chambers. Right, 33 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: So the upper chamber chambers, the atria, when they when 34 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: they contract, they force blood down into the ventricles, which 35 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: then when they can try to force it throughout the 36 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: rest of the body. And so the combination of these 37 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: two contractions are what we think of the heartbeat. The 38 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: whole love dub dub is that. Yeah, So that's you know, 39 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: the love the atria and the dub the ventricles, so 40 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: you know that there's just plenty of room for romance. 41 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: But so if if one of these is not working 42 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: out correctly, then it's it's a huge problem. Right. So, 43 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: if the atria are doing this fibrillation where they are 44 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: quivering instead of beating, then it's not providing the right 45 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: amount of blood to the ventricles to pump it through 46 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: the rest of the body. That's all obviously an issue, 47 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: but there's another one too. Write there's also heart block, 48 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: in which the electrical signal is slowed or disrupted as 49 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: it moves through the heart. So again the problem with 50 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: actually the signal reaching the place where it needs to 51 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: go so that you have a healthy heartbeat. Right. It's 52 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 1: it's like if the cover on your wire is a 53 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: little bit screwy something something to that extent, except the 54 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: wires your heart and you need that wire pretty badly. Yeah, 55 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: it's it's um. Unless you're the tin man, you pretty 56 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,119 Speaker 1: much need one. And these conditions can be caused by 57 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: all kinds of disease and other wackiness that could be. 58 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: It could be an inherited condition, it can be after 59 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: a heart attack, if if a heart attack damages the muscle, right, yeah, 60 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 1: there are injuries that can end up injuring the heart 61 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: as a as a result. Yeah. So there's lots of 62 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: different ways that this could happen, including things like just 63 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: coming out of a surgery that's unrelated to your heart. Sure, absolutely, Okay, 64 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: So so what happens when your heart lacks rhythm? You 65 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: can no longer do really crazy dances like the electric slide. Okay, 66 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: true enough. However, it mostly means that your body might 67 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: not be getting enough blood, which would cause a tiredness, lightheadedness, 68 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: breathlessness even like fainting, organ damage, and and can potentially 69 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: even lead to death if it goes unchecked. Yeah. Yeah, 70 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,119 Speaker 1: so we're talking about very serious stuff. Now. A healthy 71 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: adult has a heart rate at rest. That's what between 72 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: sixty beats permant something like that. Ye ye, so um, 73 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,799 Speaker 1: mind's on the high end, which is actually not great. 74 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: It means that, honestly, that Jonathan needs to exercise more 75 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: so that I have a healthier cardio life. And that's 76 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: something that I am working on because it's a concern, right, 77 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 1: I'm getting I'm getting to a certain age um physically 78 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: if not mentally or emotionally, so I need to prepare 79 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: for that. Generally, slower heartbeat within that range is is ideal. 80 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: Um and healthy heartbeats are regular because we have, like 81 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: I said earlier, those built in pacemakers. Those are the 82 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: sino ar trial I said that right, Yes, which at 83 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: the at the at the upper right. Okay, gotcha. So yeah, 84 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: so it's this is kind of the signal that lets 85 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: the atria no to to contract. So once that signal 86 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: goes through to contract the atria, what happens then, Like, 87 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: how is it then move onto the ventricle um, it 88 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: passes through another node, the atrio ventricular nod. Well, yeah, okay, cool. 89 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: So you've got two nodes that are doing this and 90 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: they're doing it in a very precise rhythm so that 91 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: it creates this contraction that that then pumps the blood 92 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: through the rest of the body. All right, And if 93 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: that's atrial node isn't working properly, the atrio ventricular node 94 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,360 Speaker 1: can take over for it. But it's a it's it's 95 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,039 Speaker 1: a weaker force, so it's not as efficient, it's not 96 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: as efficient. It's only going to get you up to 97 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,600 Speaker 1: about forty beats per minute. Which, um, is why you're 98 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,720 Speaker 1: going to encounter that fatigue and breathlessness and stuff like that. Right, 99 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: So you'll you'll you'll live, but you'll be getting an 100 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: increasingly poor condition. Um. So what do pacemakers do. Pacemakers 101 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: can can regulate that they can help slow the rhythm 102 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: of a too fast heartbeat or help control and a 103 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: regular or too fast form or too slow them. So 104 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: they can they can monitor the impulses and override it 105 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: or pulses, I guess I should say, and override it 106 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: so that it has a more regular heartbeat and keep 107 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: someone at an optimal heartbeat range. Right. Sure, And and 108 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: if those if those two nodes are not communicating properly, 109 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: a pacemaker can help coordinate the electrical signals between them. 110 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: I see. So if maybe the cino ore atrial nodes 111 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: working just fine, but perhaps the ventricular ones not, then 112 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: this could help balance that balance that out right? Sure? 113 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: And it does this because okay, So, so a pacemaker 114 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: is essentially a very small generator hooked up to a 115 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: battery and a computer. Again, very small battery and very 116 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: small computer. You have to be implant the sure um 117 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: and wires are threaded from the pacemaker through a vein 118 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: to the heart. Um. Those wires being tipped with electrodes, 119 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: and the electrodes detect your heart's electrical activity and rhythm 120 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: and then send that information to the computer which will 121 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: monitor them. Um and then uh, it will direct the 122 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: generator to fire whenever the signals go go wnkey all right. 123 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: So what the computer is doing is looking for any irregularities, 124 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: share addresses that right. Um. It can also record these 125 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: signals for your doctor to upload and used to adjust 126 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: your pacemaker. Um using a wireless device. They don't have 127 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: to do surgery on you and check it because they 128 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: want to check it about quarterly, so that would be messy. 129 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: So this is kind of like a very important version 130 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: of a physical activity tracker. It's keeping data on the 131 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: activity of your heart and let your doctor know exactly 132 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: what's going on right right um. In some cases, that 133 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: onboard computer can even be accessed remotely via the interwebs. 134 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: So for those of you who are privacy worried about 135 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, the idea that your heart rate 136 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: is being monitored remotely maybe not for you. I actually 137 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: think I actually think it's super awesome, Like the idea 138 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: that that a doctor would have that level of granular 139 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: information about a pay stients health and and even be 140 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: able to preemptively tell the patient, hey, I'm detecting some 141 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: unusual readings here. Could you come in so that we 142 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: can make sure that you are in good shape, that 143 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: you're in good shape, and that it's not an equipment malfunction. 144 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: And you know, obviously that would be incredibly important. And 145 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: if it were, you know, I mean there's some some 146 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: people have pacemakers who are who are basically doing okay, 147 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: it's more precautionary, and but there are other very life 148 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: threatening ventricular diseases. Sure, sure, yeah, some models, called great 149 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: responsive models will actually adjust to your heart rate to 150 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: your changes in activity. Gotcha is like, which again makes sense. 151 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,719 Speaker 1: For example, like if you're exerting yourself, then you might 152 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: need a different heart rate than if you were at rest. 153 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: And uh that's why I remember older pacemakers that was 154 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,959 Speaker 1: a real challenge because they would they would keep a 155 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: very steady heart rate, which was great, but if you 156 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: break into a brisk jug your heart wouldn't be able 157 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: to to keep up when the in the computer would 158 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: start misfire. Right, So that was a real issue. Sure sure, so, um, 159 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:05,959 Speaker 1: So there are three basic types of pacemakers. You've got 160 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: single chamber which carry impulses from the generator to the 161 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: heart's right ventricle. Dual chamber which carry those impulses to 162 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: the right ventricle and the right atrium um and and 163 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: also helped coordinate the timing between the two. Then you've 164 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: got bi ventricular which which carry those impulses to the 165 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,439 Speaker 1: right atrium and both ventricles helping coordinate all of the signals. 166 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: And uh, those are yeah for for as you can imagine, 167 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,199 Speaker 1: those those are increasing in seriousness right right, obviously because 168 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: you're talking about having to take over more and more 169 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,079 Speaker 1: of the hearts activity. There are all there are also 170 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: related UM implantable cardio verter cardioverter did I say that right? Yes, 171 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: implantable cardioverter defibrillators, which UM use not only those low 172 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: energy impulses that a regular pacemaker would use, but also 173 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: UM high high energy impulses when necessary to treat very 174 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: life threatening So like if you're for example, there I'll 175 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: t talk about some of the early ones of this, 176 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 1: but there are some devices that let's say the detects 177 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: at your heart that maybe you're going into cardiac arrest. 178 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 1: It can actually deliver a strong enough electrical impulse to possibly, 179 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,679 Speaker 1: you know, kickstart your heart going again. So it ends 180 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: up being like you know, if you guys have ever 181 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: seen any medical procedural, you have obviously seen the person 182 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 1: with which they usually use incorrectly. Yeah, the clear part 183 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: is important, by the way, Yes, but now he's doing 184 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: poorly from too much electric Um. Yeah, that's ah. This 185 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: is something that's sort of an implantable device that does 186 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: a similar thing, although it does it in a very 187 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: precise way because it's delivering it directly to the heart 188 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:47,199 Speaker 1: and um and and not every pacemaker does this. Um. 189 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: They can also, like Jonathan said earlier, be temporary if 190 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: you've just had if you've just had a heart attack 191 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: or surgery, or perhaps overdosed. While while the patient is 192 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: in the hospital with these kinds of issues, they might 193 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 1: have a temporary pacemaker. UM. And of course the permanent ones, 194 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: which is more what we've been talking about. I mean, 195 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: they wouldn't implant a temporary one, right, Yeah. In fact, 196 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: the earliest pacemakers are more like what you would see 197 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: with a temporary pacemaker, I mean, far the temporary ones 198 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: that we use now are far more sophisticated. Of course, 199 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,439 Speaker 1: orders of magnitude more sophisticated. But the ideas that you 200 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: would have an external device that would be able, you know, 201 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: anyone could monitor and also be able to like a 202 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: medical professional would be able to disconnect it once that 203 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: was a viable option, and wires would go into you, 204 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: which is kind of, you know, depending upon your level 205 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: of comfort, a little squeaky, but I'm honestly pretty squeaked 206 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: out by the entire wire through a vein thing. Yeah. Well, 207 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: just wait until we talk about the history of pacemakers, 208 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: because it's going to get really interesting. I'm glad you 209 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: took that research. So, in the case of permanent pacemakers, 210 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,560 Speaker 1: batteries and generators usually have to be replaced every five 211 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,319 Speaker 1: to fifteen years, usually about six or seven. It's really 212 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: the battery start running down, and they figure, while we're 213 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: performing surgery on you, we might as well change out 214 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: the generator to make sure that it doesn't start running 215 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: down to right right, So that way, and it actually 216 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: decreases the number of surgeries you would need over the lifetime. 217 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: Over your lifetime, right sure, yeah, the lifetime of the product, 218 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: your lifetime, um and the wires may eventually need to 219 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: be replaced as well, but that's that's more case to 220 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: case basis. Right now, we talked about in our Electronics 221 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: and f A a episode about electromagnetic interference and even 222 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: discussed a little bit about how people with pacemakers need 223 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: to be careful around devices that emit E m I, 224 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 1: which is pretty much anything that's electrical, right right, And 225 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,679 Speaker 1: that's because, like any electrical signal, the impulse is sent 226 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: by pacemaker can be disrupted by an electromagnetic field. Yeah. So, now, granted, 227 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: in most cases, the instructions you get are pretty pretty 228 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: common sense, and stuff like don't don't lay down and 229 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,120 Speaker 1: put a laptop computer or a cell phone or for 230 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: your heart. Yeah you don't wanna, don't wanna have like 231 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: your cell phone in your shirt pocket for example, right right, 232 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: You know, avoid brushing up next to strong household appliances, 233 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: industrial welders. Don't lay directly against the microwave as you 234 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: wait for that sweet sweet popcorn to be delivered to 235 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,479 Speaker 1: your hands. You know, keep keep it. Keep your generators. 236 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: You're you're larger than your heart generator generator at arms 237 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,920 Speaker 1: length that don't use jackhammers kind of that kind of 238 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: I never do and everyone thanks me. Yeah, so's and 239 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, things like metal detectors are are 240 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: fine if they're you know, I it's you're supposed to 241 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: tell security agents like, hey, I've got this pacemaker thing, 242 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: please kill me, and and they will know how to 243 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,319 Speaker 1: deal with that. Yeah. So it's it's certainly one of 244 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: those things that does mean, you know, you have to 245 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: take that into account in your lifestyle. Sure, but it's 246 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: also development that has, like we said, given a huge 247 00:13:55,480 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: number of people a chance at a healthy life that 248 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: otherwise they would not have. So it's it's phenomenal technology. 249 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: We'll talk more about how we developed this technology over 250 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: years and years of experimentation, some of which enters into 251 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: the Frankenstein Mad Scientist realm. And I can't wait to 252 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: talk about it. But before we do, let's take a 253 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: quick break to thank our sponsor. Now let's get back 254 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: to talking about pacemakers. Now, in this particular episode, we 255 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: kind of divided up the research of it, so Lauren 256 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: ended up looking a lot at how the heart works 257 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: and how pacemakers tend to work. If you guys have 258 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: ever listened to for thinking, you know that I am 259 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: the medical correspondent. Yeah. Yeah, we we make her look 260 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: at all the squeaky stuff so we don't have to 261 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: because she likes squeaky stuff like um. Although slime, I 262 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 1: would slime is really great, guys. Although I would I 263 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: would argue glancing through your notes here for the history 264 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,359 Speaker 1: that you actually got the short end of the squick stage. 265 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: You know what. This This is why never used the 266 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: phrase quick stick. This is a This is entering into 267 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: a realm that I actually relish, I because we're talking 268 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: about a realm of scientific exploration that definitely goes on 269 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: that mad scientist side of the scale. I mean, in 270 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: that really cool kind of Victorian era. And this this 271 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 1: is the same era where we saw things like Mary 272 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: Shelley's Frankenstein be published, and so that's you know, and 273 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: and some of the stuff that was being talked about 274 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: and discovered at this time plays into the narrative of 275 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: that story, although in a much more kind of literary 276 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: way and not a scientific way. But at any rate, 277 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: this is when we had people really thinking about electricity 278 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: and its effect on the human body, and not just 279 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: the human body as it turns out, So you really 280 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: need to talk about the history of the pacemaker have 281 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: to go all the way back to the mid seventeen hundreds. 282 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 1: That's when it's when people started to experiment with what 283 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: they called electro stimulation, using electricity to stimulate muscles. Uh. 284 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: And in fact, by this time they were looking at 285 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: cardiac electro stimulation, so again using electricity to stimulate the heart. 286 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: This was all in animals at the time. Yeah, So 287 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: they would find recently dead animals, or they would make 288 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: an animal recently dead, and then they would use some 289 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: form of electricity to use on electricity source to stimulate 290 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: the animal's heart. Electric sources. Yeah, at the time, they 291 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: had they had laden jars and voltaic piles peels Actually 292 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: you should say voltaic peels. It's it's actually named uh 293 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: it's yeah, so peel is French, but it's voltaic peels 294 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: or piles if you prefer both of which we were. 295 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: I mean our batteries. They are viable batteries, but very dangerous, yeah, 296 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: and not particularly strong unless you make huge stacks. Right. 297 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: So these are predecessors to what we consider the modern battery. 298 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: But that was when there was a lot of experimentation 299 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: going on. So they would use them to stimulate the 300 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 1: cardiac nerves and animals in an attempt to resuscitate intact 301 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: dead animals and thus, as my notes say, infect the 302 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 1: world with chipmunk zombies. Uh. So, there was a fellow 303 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: named Luigi Galvani who was credited with proposing electricity as 304 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: the mechanism that causes our muscles to operate. Now here's 305 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: the story. Uh, this is very possibly apocryphal, but the 306 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: the story the legend that Galvani was working on on 307 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:35,639 Speaker 1: dissecting a little froggy and uh ended up building up 308 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: an electrostatic charge and picked up a scalpel and touched 309 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: the scalpel to the froggy and it discharged the electro 310 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: static charge, which created the spark and made the froggy's 311 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 1: leg twitch. Thus, Galvanni began to think of electricity as 312 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: being the means through which our muscles operate. He called 313 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: it animal electricity, as opposed to what was being called 314 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: heat electricity. So he's he thought that animal electricity was 315 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: some sort of electricity trical type of fluid that would 316 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:08,919 Speaker 1: make muscles move. Before then, it was this idea of 317 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 1: laden jars were still based on the principle that electricity 318 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: was a fluid isn't that correct? Yeah, yeah, so we're 319 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: you know, this is obviously this is the early days 320 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: of learning about electricity. So uh. At any rate that 321 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,400 Speaker 1: that research led other people to start to tinker around. 322 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:29,919 Speaker 1: One of those was William Hawes h A W. E. S. 323 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,640 Speaker 1: He established a society in London called the Humane Society. 324 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: But it's not the Humane Society the way we would 325 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: think of it in the United States. You hear the 326 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: Humane Society and you think, oh, that's an animal rescue. 327 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,239 Speaker 1: It's not for adopting dogs and cats. Know, this was 328 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: a a group that was dedicated to um well, salvaging 329 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: people who appeared to be dead. This was a big 330 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: concern at the time a lot of people. You know, 331 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: we didn't really have the more precise scientific definitions and 332 00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: even today's debatable of of what is alive and what 333 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:01,880 Speaker 1: is dead, and we you know, we didn't have heart 334 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: rate monitors. It was a morbid time, really, it's what 335 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,479 Speaker 1: it was. It was a lot harder to tell and 336 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: so there was a huge fear of getting buried alive. Yeah. 337 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: So there was also a similar society at the time 338 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 1: in Paris. Paris, Uh, I assume Paris friends and not Paris, Texas. 339 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: Eventually the organization would become the Royal Humane Society of London, 340 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:28,400 Speaker 1: and very early on during this society's days, scientists began 341 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: to explore electro stimulation as a way of resuscitating people 342 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,159 Speaker 1: who appear to have died and maybe who are not 343 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: actually dead but could be revived. So se A guy 344 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: named Charles Kite writes uh paper titled an Essay upon 345 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: the Recovery of the Apparently Dead, which is already my 346 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: favorite title of a of a paper since uh, since 347 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: more wrote Cramming more components on integrated circuits. Um, I love, 348 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: I love, I love these titles. They're better. That's the 349 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: best kind of research, really. So, according to the essay, 350 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: Ki used electro stimulation to treat a three year old child. 351 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: She had fallen out of a window and appeared to 352 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 1: be dead. They had called in an apothecary, who was 353 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,479 Speaker 1: unable to do anything. Kite said that it was twenty 354 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: minutes before he could arrive to provide some sort of 355 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: electro stimulation to the child's heart. He used his He 356 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: used essentially electrodes to to deliver a gentle electrical shock 357 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,199 Speaker 1: to various parts of the child's body eventually setting on 358 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: the thorax or chest really to uh and found that 359 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,879 Speaker 1: he got a pulse when he did that, and claimed 360 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: that the child woke up was very groggy and uh 361 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: and and confused about her surroundings, but that she eventually 362 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: made a full recovery. What that tells me is that 363 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:49,000 Speaker 1: this story is probably either exaggerated or there are some 364 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,120 Speaker 1: big missing components, Because being dead for twenty minutes is 365 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,439 Speaker 1: being dead is dead. You're not You're not You're not 366 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: bouncing back from that really, But any rate, it could 367 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: be that that no one at the house at the 368 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: time could find a heartbeat, right, could have been that 369 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: she had a very weak pulse interminute pulse. Even so, 370 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: at any rate, that's the story. From seventy six, a 371 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: couple of Danish scientists published a paper that was titled 372 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: Life Saving Measures for drowning persons and Information of the 373 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: best means by which they can be brought back to life, 374 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: and that also included electro stimulation of the heart as 375 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: a means of saving people. We're gonna jump ahead, so 376 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 1: a lot of people researching this. In eighteen twenty, Dr 377 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: de Sanctus in The Medical Guide described the reanimation chair. 378 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: I didn't show you a picture of this yet, have 379 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: I learned? You're gonna get a chance to see it 380 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: on social as well. The chair included bellows which were 381 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: meant to force air into the person's lungs, a metallic 382 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: tube inserted into the person's esophagus, and a voltaic peel 383 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: or pile, depending upon how you want to pronounce it, 384 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: attached at one end of the metal tube and the 385 00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: other end was to an electrode. The electrode was then 386 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: to quote regions of the heart, the diaphragm, and the 387 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:07,199 Speaker 1: stomach end quote to cause muscles to contract. If you 388 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: look at this thing, or illustrations of this thing, I 389 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: should say I haven't seen a picture of what I 390 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,479 Speaker 1: don't know if one was ever actually built, but the 391 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 1: illustrations of what it was supposed to look like look 392 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: like it came from Hostile or Saw or one of 393 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,800 Speaker 1: those movies. It is absolutely terrified to behold. It makes 394 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: a dentist chair look absolutely comforting by by comparison, I 395 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 1: look forward to it. Yeah, experiments with electro puncture, this 396 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: is where we're really getting into the fun stuff. So 397 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: that is that is combining electrical stimulation with acupuncture. So 398 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: you've got a needle that you insert into the body 399 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: of your your subject and then you shoot electricity through 400 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: it to stimulate. Yeah, well animal, it was most animals, 401 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 1: mostly dogs. Actually, uh yeah, I didn't want to dwell 402 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: on that too much because I love my doggies. So anyway, 403 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,199 Speaker 1: it turned out the early experiments anyway, it turned out 404 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: to be i'll use the word failure, So no Frank 405 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: and doggies. From this particular early experimentation, however, other people 406 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,640 Speaker 1: would start to experiment with using insulated needles that could 407 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:22,400 Speaker 1: deliver an electrical shock to a specific point, the point 408 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,680 Speaker 1: of the needle in fact, and that would in fact 409 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: be the basis for early pacemakers. Uh. They did discover 410 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: that by refining this process that they could stimulate activity 411 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: in a heart that was undergoing cardiac arrest. And again 412 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: they were using animals, and essentially, in order to experiment, 413 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,199 Speaker 1: they would over a neesthetize animals in or to induce 414 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 1: cardiac arrest. So we would see more and more experiments 415 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: between eighteen twenty eight and nineteen thirty, which is the 416 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: next date I have on my my list, and I I 417 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: don't want to be too exhaustive with this, and also 418 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: and they get pretty weird. And uh yeah, when you 419 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: start talking about getting cadavers from recent executions, it starts 420 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 1: to get pretty grim. So I'm going to I'm gonna 421 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: skip over that. We skip over the entire Victorian era. 422 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: We skip over Jack the Ripper. Uh, listen to stuff 423 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: you missed in history class. They cover all that kind 424 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: of stuff. All right, it's n That's when a fellow 425 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: by name of Albert S. Hyman develops and patents the 426 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,639 Speaker 1: artificial pacemaker. Yeah, so this thing did not look like 427 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: a pacemaker as you and I would would recognize if 428 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: we were to see one, which are which are large 429 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: coin sized. Yeah, they're they're in the Grand Scheme of 430 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,960 Speaker 1: Medical Devices. They are tiny. Uh, this one was not tiny. 431 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: This was a hand crank. Okay, So you had a 432 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:45,880 Speaker 1: hand crank and it had wires cables essentially that ended 433 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: in needles that could be inserted into a person and 434 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: by turning the hand crank. There was also a spring 435 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: motor inside of it that turned a magneto, which is 436 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: a d C current generator. So essentially what you're doing 437 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 1: is you're turning We've talked about inducing electricity to flow 438 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: by using moving a conductor through a fluctuating magnetic field. 439 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: This is a way of doing that by hand. You 440 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: turn the cranks. It's turning it through this magnetic field. 441 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: That's inducing electricity to throw to flow rather and that 442 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:17,199 Speaker 1: ends up supplying the electricity needed for the pacemaker. The 443 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,640 Speaker 1: insulation needle would deliver the electric charge to the right 444 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: atrium of the heart, and by March first, nineteen thirty two, 445 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: the pacemaker had been used forty three times with a 446 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: successful outcome in fourteen cases, which is about a thirty 447 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:33,239 Speaker 1: three percent success rate, which sounds incredibly low, but then 448 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: keep in mind that the essentially this was an absolute 449 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: last Yeah, this was the last last ditch effort to 450 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: try and revive someone. So it wasn't like this what 451 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: These were not the type of pacemakers we've talked about 452 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: in our episode where we talked about the things that 453 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,520 Speaker 1: you would have in your in your chest for a 454 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: prolonged period. This was really meant to revive someone. Yeah, 455 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: so this is this is a little different thing. Patient 456 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:03,439 Speaker 1: saved is actually better and zero percent. So, uh, nineteen forties, 457 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: that's when they started to Engineers and doctors began to 458 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: work on designing defibrillators, which, as we said, can play 459 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,959 Speaker 1: a part in some types of pacemakers that you can 460 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,720 Speaker 1: find today that are it's kind of a combination device really. 461 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 1: Nine an elderly man who in the literature is called 462 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: h N. They don't obviously identify people because it's medical, 463 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,880 Speaker 1: but h N suffered heart ailments for several years, had 464 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: had heart attacks and other irregularities, and became the recipient 465 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: of atronic products. Nine O two M battery operated pacemaker. 466 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: This was not an internal unit. It was not an 467 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: implant in that sense. They did implant the electrodes so 468 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: that they had contact with the heart, but the cables 469 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,959 Speaker 1: to the actual device were external, and you would, you know, 470 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: have to carry the pacemaker around with you and it 471 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: was held outside the body. You know. It could also 472 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 1: detect spont aneas cardiac activity. It had essentially had the 473 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: ability to tell if something was going wrong. It wasn't 474 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 1: necessarily able to respond to that dynamically, but it could 475 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: at least warn a caregiver that something something was happening. Um, 476 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: everything was it was, It worked all right. The one 477 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 1: problem was that the area where the electrodes would go 478 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: in through the skin Essentially the needle would go in 479 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,720 Speaker 1: through the skin um was prone to minor infections. There 480 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: was never like that you would expect from from I mean, 481 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: and that's part of the reason why the drive should 482 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: create implantable rightmakers exist. And we talked about, you know, 483 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 1: the fact that in our piercing episode or our body 484 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,199 Speaker 1: modification episode, we talked about that there is a a 485 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,919 Speaker 1: possibility of developing these kind of infections and they may 486 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,159 Speaker 1: not be serious, it may not be life threatening, but 487 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: they can be problematic. And that was exactly what he 488 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 1: had experienced. It wasn't an infection that was developing into sepsis, 489 00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,399 Speaker 1: but it was like he would have to have the 490 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:03,479 Speaker 1: area ened regularly so that he could clear out any infection. UH. 491 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: In late nineteen sixty two, he underwent surgery for a 492 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: pacemaker implant, but he never fully recovered. In fact, he 493 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: never recovered from the surgical procedure. He died twenty days 494 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: after the surgical procedure, So that was an unfortunate tragedy there, 495 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: but he did have lived for several years with this 496 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: external pacemaker. In nineteen sixty doctor Robert Rubio implant a 497 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: pacemaker into a female patient and that pacemaker was fifty 498 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: two point five millimeters in diameter, which is about two 499 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: inches uh seventeen point five millimeters thick, which is about 500 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: point seven inches, so just over half an inch, and 501 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: waged sixty four point three grams or two point three 502 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,000 Speaker 1: ounces or less than a quarter of a pound. Now 503 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: that one got power from two rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries 504 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 1: which were charged through induction from an external flexible coil 505 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: placed on the skin over the pacemaker. So this is 506 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: the way some pacemakers are recharged today using a similar approach, 507 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: although it's usually radio frequencies. But what we're talking about 508 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: wireless power here right where you can induce this charging 509 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 1: through um again, your your cree. It's all about magnetic 510 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: fields and electricity is really what we get down to. 511 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 1: So you would have to place this flexible coil directly 512 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: over your heart in order to recharge the pacemaker, or 513 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: really directly over the pacemaker wherever the pacemaker was located, 514 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,560 Speaker 1: wherever the you know, the battery was uh. The stimulated 515 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: electrode for this was a platinum disk, so it was 516 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: an expensive piece of medical technology. But sadly the patient 517 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: died nine and a half months after the surgery, because 518 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: she did develop an infection which turned into sepsis after 519 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: the surgery. So the pacemaker was working, but the it 520 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: was a side effect of the surgery. She unfortunately perished 521 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:50,720 Speaker 1: from that. So early implannable pacemakers varied widely and how 522 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: long they could operate before requiring a recharge. So one 523 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 1: of them would only go like eight hours and then 524 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: you have to recharge it. That's pretty yeah, that's pretty yeah. 525 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: But there were others that could go weeks or even 526 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: months before a recharge, even in the early days in 527 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 1: the sixties. Uh this this also, I mean still today, 528 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 1: how much how much your your pacemaker is actually needing 529 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: to to create a charge will make your battery life 530 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: very right. So in other words, in other words, if 531 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 1: if it's only occasionally having to intervene, then you're recharging, 532 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: may you may not need to recharge it as frequently 533 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: as someone where it's more active more frequently. Um So, 534 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties, that's when we started to see 535 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 1: the cardiac stimulator defibrillators, which we kind of talked about. 536 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: It's under called something else today, but same sort of 537 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: idea that the device that can uh detect when a 538 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: heart beat stops and then try to restart it with 539 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: a controlled electrical burst to the heart. Uh. The early 540 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: versions of that were also not implantable. They were external 541 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: as well. But now we've got implantable ones that are 542 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: incorporated with sort of pacemaker technology. UM. Now, as far 543 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: as the future goes, because from the nineteen sixties on 544 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: to the present, it was really refining that process. It's 545 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: just that miniaturization and in electrical stimulation yep, yep, making 546 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: sure that we were getting more precise and smaller. Those 547 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: are really the trends. So anything from nineteen sixties on 548 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: is more about refining that that design. Uh. Talking about 549 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: the future, miniaturization is going to continue to be a factor. 550 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 1: In fact, there are companies right now that are trying 551 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: to create pacemakers that are about the size of a pill. 552 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: So that tiny. So the reason why you want this 553 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 1: is not just because it it takes up less space 554 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: in the patient. Really, it's because the surgical procedures become 555 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: less invasive. It's less damaged to the body, less chance 556 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 1: for infection, UH, makes it less chance for something to 557 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: go wrong, because you're it's just it's just a smaller 558 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: surgical procedure. So that's really where we're seeing the future 559 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:58,360 Speaker 1: come in as far as Pacemakers are concerned. And now 560 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: that kind of wraps up our our episode. We were 561 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: really interested in this topic. It was kind of it's 562 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: it's always fun for us to take a specific technology 563 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 1: and explain how it works and really where it came from. 564 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: We love doing that. I mean we obviously we love 565 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: doing things like covering various companies as well. Uh, not 566 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: to mention the fact that we have covered many, many, 567 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,720 Speaker 1: many personalities in technology. But if you guys want to 568 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: hear us do more of this sort of thing, then 569 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: I recommend you right in and let us know. So 570 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 1: send us a message. You can write us an email 571 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: that addresses tech stuff at Discovery dot com, where you 572 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: can find us on Tumbler or Facebook or Twitter with 573 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: the handle text stuff hs W and who knows, you know, 574 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 1: we may take your your suggestion. This suggestion, by the way, 575 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: came to us from a listener right Facebook, from Peter. So, Peter, 576 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this episode about Pacemakers. I hope 577 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: you were not asking about Jerry and the Pacemakers, because 578 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: that's a band and they did very Across the Mercy, 579 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 1: which is a great song but not what we covered. 580 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,040 Speaker 1: So hopefully we met your expectations. Let us know if 581 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,520 Speaker 1: we didn't. And guys, that wraps this up. We will 582 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: talk to you again really soon for more on this 583 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff works 584 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: dot com