Wilfred G. Bigelow

A Canadian surgeon, Bigelow was stationed in England during World War II. He dealt with many soldiers who suffered frostbite and hypothermia, and observed that their lower body temperatures resulted in a decreased metabolism -- and a resulting decrease in the need for oxygen. He not only devised effective treatments for frostbite, he also applied his observations to his chosen post-war specialty: heart surgery. He realized that induced hypothermia would help patients survive open heart surgery -- and it did, despite predictions from other doctors that it would backfire. His interest in heart problems then led him to invent another device in 1950: the cardiac pacemaker. But it took nearly a decade -- and the invention of sufficiently small and reliable transistors -- to make the device practical. The first pacemaker was implanted in a human in 1959. Dr. Bigelow died in Toronto on March 27 -- from heart failure. He was 91. From This is True for 27 March 2005 Suggestions for further reading: Cardiac Pacing and ICDs by Kenneth A. Ellenbogen MD, Mark A. Wood MD Amazon Price: $61.33 Customer Review: This book was written by one of the best in the cardiac pacing field. The only problem is his dry and wordy compilation of cardiac pacing.   Clinical Cardiac Pacing, Defibrillation and Resynchronization Therapy by Kenneth A. Ellenbogen MD, Bruce L. Wilkoff MD, G. Neal Kay MD, Chu Pak Lau Amazon Price: $292.12 Customer Review: Disclosure: I trained under Ellenbogen in the very early 90s. I have serially purchased just about every book he has authored and edited and saw the detail with which he reviewed earlier editions of this and other books on pacing. I authored s...   Cardiac Pacemakers and Resynchronization Step by Step: An Illustrated Guide by S. Serge Barold, Roland X. Stroobandt, Alfons F. Sinnaeve Amazon Price: $62.95   Cardiac Pacing, Defibrillation and Resynchronization: A Clinical Approach by David L. Hayes, Paul A. Friedman Amazon Price: $99.95 Customer Review: as a clinical educator I appreciate the comprehensive approach. This book is good for the beginner and expert alike as the topics covered not only lay the foundation for the novice, but offer advanced knowledge for those who have many years of experi...   Cardiac Pacemakers Step by Step: An Illustrated Guide by S. Serge Barold, Roland X. Stroobandt, Alfons F. Sinnaeve Amazon Price: $71.24 Customer Review: This book looks more like a comic book, which took me aback at first. But it's loaded with all the stuff you need to know in an easy to read format. Nothing lightweight about it.   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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