Bakken and Edwards: engineers and medical pioneers (1 Viewer)

[Dennis Nicholls]

In the WSJ this week I saw an editorial praising the late Earl Bakken, who had died the previous week. An extensive obit was also in the WSJ.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/earl-ba...ker-1540760924

An obit not behind a paywall is here.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/1...bakken-dies-94

After the war Bakken got a degree in EE, and with his brother-in-law started a modest medical device repair shop in his garage. A decade later a cardiac surgeon told him a tragic tale. Pacemakers then were a cart full of vacuum tubes that you plugged into a wall socket. One night the hospital lost power and a patient died. Could Bakken design a battery powered pacemaker?

Bakken went home and pulled out a back issue of Popular Electronics that had a transistor metronome circuit. Using this as a starting point Bakken had a fist-sized prototype ready in a month.

Bakken dropped this prototype off at the surgeon for evaluation. A few days later he stopped by and was horrified to find that the surgeon had already hooked it up to a live patient.

Bakken's garage shop company, Medtronic, is now a multi-billion dollar corporation that produces implantable pacemakers and other devices.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Two months ago I had an Edwards replacement aortic valve installed. The Bakken obits inspired me to search out the history of the Edwards valves.

https://www.ohsu.edu/historical-coll...ards-1898-1982

Miles Lowell Edwards was an engineer who developed pumps. He designed a pump for a super-pressure-washer that's still in use to strip bark off a tree without damaging the wood underneath. He also designed a centrifugal pump that was used as a fuel pump in high-altitude WWII bombers.

When he retired he wanted a project to work on. He talked to a cardiologist named Starr about building an artificial heart - hey, it's just a pump and who knew more about pumps than Edwards? The doctor told him he was putting the cart before the horse: a heart was a complicated thing. Why not start with valves, a simpler project and one with an immediate need?

So in retirement Edwards built a replacement mitral valve and Starr tried it out.

Edwards Lifesciences has been in business now since the 1960s.

My replacement aortic valve is a model 3300TFX which is part mechanical and part cow tissue.

https://www.edwards.com/devices/heart-valves/aortic-pericardial

 

[ChristopherG]

Pretty fascinating stuff Dennis! How are you getting along with your new parts?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

The body takes time to recover from heart surgery. But before surgery my aortic valve was only opening maybe 25%-30% of normal so my circulation was poor. I'm discovering lots of small improvements all over my body on a weekly basis, e.g. a lot of my joint pains have gone away.

 

[ChristopherG]

I can speak authoritatively when I say aging is not for the timid! Glad to hear your on the mend and seeing improvements.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I can speak authoritatively when I say aging is not for the timid!

There's an entire thread here about wusses that are scared about getting a colonoscopy.

Just wait until their doc says they need open heart surgery.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Well Mick Jagger has had his aortic valve replaced today in NYC.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...goes-successful-heart-valve-procedure-1199685

Due to his age Mick got the less invasive TAVR procedure instead of the open heart surgery like I got. He should be back to rockin in weeks not months.