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