TY - JOUR
T1 - Critical Role of Physiologist John A. Johnson in the Origins of Minnesota's Billion Dollar Pacemaker Industry
AU - Gott, Vincent L.
N1 - Funding Information:
I thank David Rhees, PhD, Executive Director, and Elizabeth Ihrig, Librarian, of the Bakken Library and Museum in Minneapolis for providing considerable archival material for this article. Similar material was provided by Dr James Moller, Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. I also appreciate the historical material provided by Kirk Jeffrey, PhD, Professor of History at Carlton College, Northfield, Minnesota. I would also like to thank Earl Bakken for his 50-year friendship and for reviewing this manuscript. The preparation of this manuscript was supported by the Mildred and Carmont Blitz Cardiac Research Fund and the Joyce Koons Family Endowment for Cardiac Care.
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Complete heart block developed in more than 10% of C. Walton Lillehei's early patients undergoing closure of ventricular septal defects, and hospital mortality was 100% in this group of patients. This problem of early fatality from heart block was completely eliminated with the use of a myocardial electrode in combination with an external plug-in electric stimulator. This method of treatment, suggested by Dr John A. Johnson, a professor of physiology at the University of Minnesota, was first used by Dr Lillehei on January 30, 1957. The next 3 years would witness the development of a portable, external, battery-powered pacemaker, and then an implantable pacemaker available for thousands of patients susceptible to lethal Stokes-Adams attacks. Fifty years have passed, and in 2005, approximately 800,000 pacemakers were implanted worldwide.
AB - Complete heart block developed in more than 10% of C. Walton Lillehei's early patients undergoing closure of ventricular septal defects, and hospital mortality was 100% in this group of patients. This problem of early fatality from heart block was completely eliminated with the use of a myocardial electrode in combination with an external plug-in electric stimulator. This method of treatment, suggested by Dr John A. Johnson, a professor of physiology at the University of Minnesota, was first used by Dr Lillehei on January 30, 1957. The next 3 years would witness the development of a portable, external, battery-powered pacemaker, and then an implantable pacemaker available for thousands of patients susceptible to lethal Stokes-Adams attacks. Fifty years have passed, and in 2005, approximately 800,000 pacemakers were implanted worldwide.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33845505503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33845505503&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2006.10.070
DO - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2006.10.070
M3 - Article
C2 - 17184706
AN - SCOPUS:33845505503
SN - 0003-4975
VL - 83
SP - 349
EP - 353
JO - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
JF - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
IS - 1
ER -