Product Code Database
Professor James Francis Pantridge, (3 October 1916 – 26 December 2004), usually known as Frank Pantridge, was a Northern Irish physician, cardiologist, and professor who transformed emergency medicine and paramedic services with the invention of the portable defibrillator.
He returned to Northern Ireland in 1950, and was appointed as cardiac consultant to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast and professor at Queen's University, where he remained until his retirement in 1982. There he established a specialist cardiology unit whose work became known around the world.
By 1957 Pantridge and his colleague, Dr John Geddes, had introduced the modern system of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for the early treatment of cardiac arrest. Further study led Frank Pantridge to the realisation that many deaths resulted from ventricular fibrillation which needed to be treated before the patient was admitted to hospital. This led to his introduction of the mobile coronary care unit (MCCU), an ambulance with specialist equipment and staff to provide pre-hospital care.
During his time living in the hills beyond Poleglass, to extend the usefulness of early treatment, Pantridge developed the portable defibrillator, and in 1965 installed his first version in a Belfast ambulance. It weighed 70 kg and operated from car batteries, but by 1968 he had designed an instrument weighing only 3 kg, incorporating a miniature capacitor manufactured for NASA. Much of Pantridge's research was conducted alongside colleague John Anderson, the head of Biomedical Engineering at Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, who later co-founded Heartsine.
His work was backed up by clinical investigations and epidemiological studies in scientific papers, including an influential 1967 The Lancet article. With these developments, the Belfast treatment system, often known as the "Pantridge Plan", became adopted throughout the world by emergency medical services. The portable defibrillator became recognised as a key tool in first aid, and Pantridge's refinement of the automated external defibrillator (AED) allowed it to be used safely by members of the public.
Although he was known worldwide as the "Father of Emergency Medicine",UK Daily Telegraph obituary 29 December 2004. Frank Pantridge was less acclaimed in his own country, and was saddened that it took until 1990 for all front-line ambulances in the UK to be fitted with defibrillators.
In June 1969, he was appointed Officer of the Order of St. John (OStJ). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1979 New Year Honours.
The city of Lisburn commissioned a statue of Pantridge, which stands outside the council's offices at the Lagan Valley Island centre.
A blue plaque to Pantridge was erected by the entrance to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast in 2021.
Pantridge Road in Poleglass, Belfast was named after him.
Pantridge Link, Royal Hillsborough was also named after him.
|
|
