Development Year: 1947
Inventor: Claude Beck
Description: A defibrillator treats life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias by delivering a dose of electric current (often called a counter-shock) to the heart. The use of a defibrillator is often an important step in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an algorithm-based intervention aimed to restore cardiac and pulmonary function.
Functionality: The defibrillator passes a brief electrical current through the heart, which depolarizes cardiac muscle and allows the body’s natural pacemaker to re-establish a proper rhythm.
Source: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/defibrillators#:~:text=Defibrillators%20are%20devices%20that%20apply,help%20it%20start%20beating%20again.