Concept
Normally, the heart’s pacemaker regulates the contraction of the heart’s ventricles. Ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia occur when there are irregularities in the electrical signals from the pacemaker, causing the heart’s ventricles to contract abnormally and preventing blood from circulating throughout the body. Ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia can lead to sudden cardiac death if not treated immediately.
An implantable defibrillator is a device implanted under the skin through an incision in the shoulder. Leads from the implanted defibrillator pass through a vein into the heart. The leads are attached to electrodes that monitor the electrical activity in the heart. When irregular electrical activity is detected in the heart, the defibrillator delivers a shock to restore normal electrical activity.
The automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator is the size of a deck of cards and weighs nine ounces. Although these devices have become smaller since they were first patented, the technology from the original patent has not been replaced by new technology. The AICD patent (U.S. Patent 4,202,340), issued on May 13, 1980, is entitled “Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Heart Activity, Detecting Abnormalities, and Cardioverting a Malfunctiong Heart.”
Read more about this topic: Morton Mower, Inventions
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