{
  "patent_number": "US 3614954",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the First Automatic Implantable Defibrillator Works",
  "original_title": "Electronic standby defibrillator",
  "summary": "A 1970 invention by Medtronic that monitors heart rhythms and automatically delivers an electric shock to restart the heart if it detects a dangerous malfunction.",
  "what_it_does": "The device acts as a continuous heart monitor that tracks electrical activity to identify life-threatening arrhythmias. When the system detects an abnormal heart rhythm, it triggers a high-voltage discharge to shock the heart back into a normal sinus rhythm. If the first shock fails to restore normal function within a set interval, the mechanism is designed to deliver subsequent shocks. The device remains inactive as long as the heart's electrical activity stays within normal parameters.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover external defibrillators that require manual operation by a human.",
    "Does not cover devices that monitor blood pressure or oxygen levels rather than electrical heart activity.",
    "Does not cover pacemakers that only provide low-voltage stimulation for slow heart rates."
  ],
  "filed": "1970-02-09",
  "granted": "1971-10-26",
  "expires": "1990-02-09",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Medtronic Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/medtronic-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Mieczyslaw Mirowski",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/mieczyslaw-mirowski"
    },
    {
      "name": "Morton M Mower",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/morton-m-mower"
    },
    {
      "name": "William S Staewen",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/william-s-staewen"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 71,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "medical_devices"
  ],
  "abstract": "A METHOD AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY DEFIBRILLATING A MALFUNCTIONING HEART. WITH THE PRESENT INVENTION, THE HEART FUNCTION IS CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED. WHEN THE FUNCTION BECOMES ABNORMAL, THE MALFUNCTIONING HEART IS AUTOMATICALLY SHOCKED BY A VOLTAGE OF SUBSTANTIAL SIZE. IF THE HEART DOES NOT RETURN TO ITS NORMAL FUNCTIONS AFTER A GIVEN INTERVAL, THEN IT IS AGAIN SHOCKED. NORMAL HEART ACTIVITY ENSURES THAT THE SHOCKING MECHANISM REMAINS INERT.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3614954/implantable-defibrillator-mirowski",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3614954/implantable-defibrillator-mirowski/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3614954",
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}