In 1956, Dr. Paul Zoll performed the first external defibrillation of a human being. This was performed using the conventional reusable defibrillator paddles that so many are familiar with today. Any one who has watched television has seen the paddles that are gelled with conductive paste, then physically held on the victim's chest, with the doctor yelling, "Clear!", and his pushing of the buttons to deliver the shock. Classically, a defibrillator shock is roughly 3000 volts for about ten thousandths of a second, much too dangerous a procedure for lay personnel, or even for those known today as first responders. Because of these dangers, everyone must be warned to "Clear!", or to stay away from the patient during the shock.
Twenty four years later, Mr. Heath changed all that. With his invention of single-use preapplied hands-free electrode pads for both ECG heart monitoring and defibrillation, the shock could be administered more safely while standing at a safe distance away from the patient. After Dr. Paul Zoll used Mr. Heath's electrodes, he said, "We have been looking for you for years!"
In 1980, the invention was first used outside the hospital by
Highland Park Fire Department in Illinois. It improved the procedure so much that successful resuscitations jumped from just 5% to 42% in just six months. Similar results were later reproduced in a study by Dr. Richard Kerber (the Chairman of the AED Committee of the American Heart Association) professor of Cardiology at the University of Iowa. At the national meeting of the American College of Cardiology in 1986, Mr. Heath's invention was declared superior to the paddles, which had been used for decades.
view report Later, Dr. Kerber would recommend Mr. Heath for the Lemelson MIT Prize, crediting his inventions with the saving of thousands of lives.
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The life saving did not stop there. Because of their ease of application, and safety, Mr. Heath's inventions also made possible the use of AEDs worldwide, saving additional thousands of lives. He personally hand made the very first electrodes for the very first AEDs put to use in 1980.
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