Sometimes mistakes help ! Invention of Pacemaker

[R V Rao]

American engineer Wilson Greatbatch accidentally invented the first implantable cardiac pacemaker in 1956. While building a device to record heart sounds, he installed the wrong resistor by mistake. The circuit produced regular electrical pulses that mimicked a human heartbeat, inspiring him to create a compact, life-saving device.

How the Invention Happened

• • The Mistake: Greatbatch reached for a part and grabbed a 10-megaohm resistor instead of the correct size
    .
  • The Result: The machine started pulsing for 1.8 milliseconds, pausing for a second, and repeating the exact rhythm of a human heart.

  • The Realization: Older pacemakers were large, painful machines kept outside the hospital room. Greatbatch saw his error could lead to a small device placed right inside the body.

Development and Success

• • Testing: He refined the unit over two years and successfully used it on a dog in 1958.
  • Human Use: Working with doctors William Chardack and Andrew Gage, the first human implant of his design took place in 1960.