Permanent pacing of the heart: 1952 to 1976.

The theory and science of electrical pacing of the heart is scarcely 2 decades old, but developments in these areas have in a way revolutionized modern cardiology. This report, basically a review of the major developments during that time, describes the present state of the art, and calls attention to the many people who have brought us to this point. Results of a recent national survey reveal that about 156,000 patients in the United States are living with implanted pacemakers or about 1 in every 1,300 persons. The rate of new implants is 270/million each year, the highest in the world. The impact of such a volume is considerable, affecting industrial growth, federal legislation and control, insurance plans and a multitude of medical programs. New power sources, some touted to last a lifetime, will have a great impact but will not change the current state of the art materially because 30 percent or more of pacemaker operations are for problems other than routine battery exhaustion. The need for improvements in other pacemaker components is emphasized.