title: 50 years of successfull human defibrillation. A history of continuing progress.
abstract: 50 years ago, Claude Beck successfully performed the first cardiac defibrillation in a human. This was the beginning of a new era in cardiology as well as in general medicine. Today, defibrillation or cardioversion measures in the context of resuscitation or performed as an elective procedure is a well-established technique and every physician is familiar with it. However, 50 years ago when Beck saved the life of a 14 year old boy in the operating room, little was known about defibrillation and its therapy. This article is in memoriam of Claude Beck, who drawing the right conclusions from published experimental observations, did the right thing at the right time. The circumstances of the first human defibrillation are described and the theoretical and experimental framework available at that time is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie- Angiologie- Pneumologie- im Zentrum Innere Medizin, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120, Magdeburg, esperer@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Esperer
authors.forename: H U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Klein