In 1956, Wilson Greatbatch Made a Simple Wiring Mistake at His Workbench: That Unexpected Pulse Led to the Modern Pacemaker

Many invention tales start with an intent. In this case, the story started with a simple error.

While working on a heart rate recorder in 1956, Wilson Greatbatch took the wrong resistor into his hand while putting together an oscillator. Rather than doing its intended job, it gave out a consistent electrical signal.

As reported by the University at Buffalo, where Greatbatch would later work, this electrical signal resembled the sound of a beating heart. While this was not what Greatbatch was looking for, it was much more significant than that.

Seeing meaning in an accident

Experimental errors occur constantly in laboratory settings. However, what set this particular instance apart from others was how Greatbatch reacted. According to his own recollection, which was indexed by PubMed, a trivial mistake when decoding the color markings on a resistor resulted in an unintended output. Rather than disregarding the finding, he understood its significance.

It took more than mere chance for this discovery to occur. It took insight. Greatbatch realized that an electrically-driven rhythmic pulse could replicate the biological impulses driving the human heart, and that this could be applied to cases of abnormally slow heartbeats.

This revelation did not happen spontaneously.

From circuit to clinical idea

Converting the oscillating circuit into a device for medical use was not easy. It required a change in perspective. Greatbatch needed to move from observation to action. The device that he wanted to construct was meant to monitor the heart. However, the device that started forming in his imagination could regulate the beating of the organ.

According to studies carried out at the Lemelson-MIT Program, this was when the idea of the pacemaker actually came to life. The pulse had to be dependable, harmless, and sufficiently small to fit inside the human body.

It took him years of engineering. He made a mistake, but the mistake helped him make headway.

Building toward real patients

Advancement was gradual, with Greatbatch creating most devices himself outside the confines of standard laboratory procedures. According to one chapter available from NCBI Bookshelf, the inventor made many pacemakers in his workshop and then tested them on animals before finally using some in human beings alongside Dr. William Chardack and his fellow scientists.

The importance of this stage is just as great as the initial breakthrough because it helped turn an initial spark of inspiration into a device for medical use. The pace of development was rapid during the 1950s. Articles in PubMed Central discuss the first wearable device in 1957 and the first implantable device in 1958. By 1960, continuous internal pacing was already possible.

Why the pacemaker changed everything

For patients with serious heart rhythm problems, before the advent of implantable pacemakers, there were few viable choices. Implantable pacemakers changed all that. In the historical review indexed on PubMed, it is clear that one of the earliest types of implantable pacemakers involved the use of leads directly attached to the heart and pulse generators implanted into the patient’s body. Though crude by today’s standards, it enabled something revolutionary: Patients received continuous treatment without any dependency on an external machine.

The result was a significant improvement in survival and quality of life. As described in another review found on PubMed Central, the invention of Greatbatch represented a revolution in cardiac care, allowing patients with chronic rhythm issues to live more stable and independent lives.

The battery that made it last

Though the first revelation made clear the means of forming a pulse, sustaining that pulse would require a further revelation. Greatbatch would later invent the lithium-iodine battery that allowed for sustained operation of the implantable pacemaker. As stated in PubMed Central, the invention of this battery was key in making pacemakers practical over an extended period.

Without such a reliable source of energy, the invention would not be viable. Herein is one lesson that should be learned about the process of innovation: It takes time and effort in many different stages.

A small error with a lasting impact

Reflecting on Wilson Greatbatch’s tale, one thing becomes clear: everything started simply enough. One wrong step led to a discovery; the discovery was posed as a question, and the answer came after. Though there was no invention of the pacemaker back in 1956, this was where the opportunity to do so emerged, altering the direction of medical research.

Nowadays, pacemakers implanted in patients suffering from heart rhythm disorders have reached an impressive level of development compared to earlier versions of the apparatus. Nevertheless, its origins go back to one day in the workshop of this very researcher.

Wilson Greatbatch was certainly trying to solve something else when he stumbled upon his discovery. Instead, he found himself looking at a rhythm capable of keeping hearts alive.