Defibrillator

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Defibrillators are the electric paddles that restart hearts.

In 1957, Dr. Pantridge and Dr. John Geddes invented cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Eventually, he went on to innovate a portable defibrillator that weighed 70kg and ran from car batteries, installing it in a Belfast ambulance.

No sooner did the devices prove effective then, by 1968, they had shrunk to 3kg. Eventually, later in life, Pantridge developed the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Significantly, this allowed the general public to use a defibrillator.

Subsequently, Pantridge worked with Prof. John Anderson to build the defibrillators and they received a patent on May 23, 1978.

Eventually, defibrillators were commercialized via tech transfer to HeartSine, which was sold in 2016 for $1.3B. Dr. Pantridge died in 2004 unmarried, with no heirs, and a reputation for being surly. His invention saved countless lives.