With Valentine’s Day around the corner, and the chances of an unfortunate few having their heart’s broken, it brings to our minds the scientist, designer and (arguably) engineer of the first practical electrocardiogram.
The term electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) was first coined by Dr. Willem Einthoven who researched, prototyped and ultimately invented a medical device that has led to the detectability of numerous cardiac abnormalities, inadequate coronary artery blood flow, and electrolyte disturbances. The importance of this electrical device was not lost on the scientific community; Dr Einthoven was awarded the Nobel Prize for inventing the ECG.
Dr Einthoven’s first prototype needed five people to operate it, weighed nearly 600 pounds, and required water cooling for the powerful electromagnets. Through iterative engineering this medical device evolved at one time to include sensors “attached” to three (3) limbs. These limb sensors were used to ensure that the principle torso leads were placed correctly – before the ubiquitous Instructions For Use (IFU) package insert was encouraged by the FDA. Thankfully the design continued to go through numerous iterations to reduce its form factor, sensor capabilities, and to provide a more intuitive workflow for a single operator.