10 Big Advancements in Medical Equipment in the Last 100 Years

Over the last 100 years, medical equipment technologyimplantable cardiac pacemaker in the late 1950s,
has undergone many big transformations, as thebuilding on the work of engineer John Hopps.
speed at which scientific and technological6. Balloon Catheter
advancements are made increased exponentially withThomas Fogarty invented the first ever balloon
the advent of the computer. Here are 10 of thecatheter in 1963. His device became an industry
biggest breakthroughs in medical equipment made instandard, as it allowed for the bladder to be drained
the past 100 years.continuously, a critical advantage during surgery.
1. The Ultrasound Machine7. The Portable EKG
The modern ultrasound machine was a result of manyThe Frank Sanborn company was responsible for the
decades of research and invention. One of the biggestinvention of the first portable EKG machine in 1961,
breakthroughs came in 1963 when Joseph Holmes,based on its earlier table model.
Ralph Meyerdirk and William Wright created the first8. Fetal Monitor
commercially viable, portable ultrasound scanner.Professor K. Hammacher worked with
Hewlett-Packard to create the first non-invasive fetal
2. The Laser Scalpelmonitor in 1968. It enabled doctors to monitor fetal
The first successfully tested laser was built in 1960. Indistress during the labor.
1964, the carbon dioxide laser made possible the9. CT Scanner
invention of the laser scalpel, which completelySir Godfrey Hounsfield was the man who came up
transformed the field of medical surgery. The laserwith the first commercially viable CT scanner in 1971.
scalpel was capable of making extremely preciseToday, the CT scanner is still the gold standard of
incisions that instantly cauterized the blood vesselsmedical imaging.
even as it cut them.10. The AbioCor Heart
3. The Jarvik HeartThe AbioCor artificial heart, made by AbioMed, marked
American scientist Robert Jarvik completed the firsta breakthrough in a variety of fields, and was a
ever artificial heart implant in 1982. It was meant as aculmination of decades of advancements in computer
temporary replacement for patients waiting to receivetechnology, and medical miniaturization especially. Unlike
a transplant.the Jarvik heart, the AbioCor is a permanent heart
4. Portable Defibrillatorimplant, not simply a temporary replacement for
Scientist Frank Pantridge was the creator of the firstpatients waiting on biological heart transplants.
portable defibrillator in 1960. The defibrillator is the mostLooking for good medical equipment manufacturers
effective tool against cardiac arrests.could be hard to come by these days, but because of
5. The Pacemakerthe breakthroughs over the years it has become
Researcher Wilson Greatbatch built the firsteasier to look for the right one.