Description
Book SynopsisAs Jeffrey shows, the pacemaker (first implanted in 1958) and the ICD (1980) embody a paradox of high-tech health care: these technologies are effective and reliable but add billions to the nation's medical bill because of the huge growth in the number of patients who depend on implanted devices to manage their heartbeats.
Trade ReviewThe story is a complex one, and Professor Kirk Jeffrey follows its twists and turns with utter clarity, technical sophistication, and high intelligence... elegantly researched and highly thoughful... argued and written on different levels with wonderous detail and massive research. -- Hamilton Cravens Journal of American History This is an important book that provides valuable insight into the origins and growth of one of the world's most successful biomedical industries... It includes a wealth of information and will be an indispensable reference for the development and diffusion of pacemakers. Jeffrey knows his subject and has passion for it. -- W. Bruce Fye Journal of the American Medical Association This interesting book on the history and development of pacemakers and defibrillators is recommended for electrophysiologists and cardiologists as well as for patients who have these devices. -- John F. MoranMD Doody's Book Review Service The historian's role in analyzing the many social and cultural factors that impinge on medical treatment, and its cost, is crucial to all of us, and this book provides much stimulation for further thought. -- Audrey B. Davis American Historical Review If you are looking for a well-written and well-produced history of a post-war medical tecnology and its social, political and economic context, Machines in Our Hearts will be a good choice. -- Carsten Timmermann British Journal of the History of Science Tells a story of profound significance, one of medical practice and industrial research. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Table of ContentsContents: 1 Heart Block and the Heart Tickler 2 The War on Heart Disease and the Invention of Cardiac Pacing 3 Heart Surgeons Redefine Cardiac Pacing 4 The Multiple Invention of Implantable Pacemakers 5 Making the Pacemaker Safe and Reliable 6 The Industrialization of the Pacemaker 7 The Pacemaker Becomes a Flexible Machine 8 Slowing the Pace: The Industry's Time of Troubles 9 Competition through Innovation: Accelerating the Pace of Change 10 Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death: The Implantable Defibrillator
