1924 -

Biography

Born and raised in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, Earl Bakken was interested and dabbled in electricity as a child, designing and building radios. He entered the U.S Army Signal Corps and was trained at an electrical engineering course at the University of Minnesota, eventually becaming a radar technician and instructor. Upon returning to civilian life he participated in a small electronic firm, which he soon left. On April 29, 1949 he joined with his brother in law, Palmer Hermundslie, to found a partnership they named Medtronic, which was intended to service electrical medical equipment. Their business began in a garage where his first pacemaker was eventually built. The firm became regional representatives for the electrocardiograph manufacturer Sanborn. This led to servicing a wider variety of medical equipment in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota, where C. Walton Lillehei was beginning open-heart surgery for repair of congenital cardiac lesions. One of the complications for repair of ventricular septal defect was iatrogenic interruption of the AV conduction system and creation of complete heart block, a condition which either reversed itself or was soon lethal. These children were managed with medications and myocardial wires attached to line current operated external pacemakers. On October 31, 1957 a power failure in the Twin Cities caused cessation of pacing in post-operative children and one may have died. Lillehei approached Bakken and requested that a battery-powered pacemaker be developed for his use. Bakken found a circuit in Popular Electronics for an electronic metronome, which he modified. It was promptly placed in service and soon additional units were requested. As the world beat a path to Lillehei’s operating room to adopt open-heart surgery, they learned of the external pacemaker and purchased units from Medtronic.

In October 1960 Hermundslie, on behalf of Medtronic, signed a license agreement with Wilson Greatbatch and William Chardack for manufacture of their newly invented and patented implantable pacemaker. The first sales of a bipolar thoracotomy implantable pacemaker began soon thereafter. A transvenous bipolar lead followed in 1965, beginning the gradual transition of pacemaker implantation from thoracotomy to the transvenous approach and the widespread popularity of cardiac pacing. Medtronic later introduced a working demand (VVI) pacemaker, a universal, ie DDD pacemaker, polyurethane lead insulation and low and stable threshold steroid eluting electrodes. Medtronic itself has become the largest and dominant world pacemaker manufacturer and biomedical multinational.

Bakken himself has become an honorary member of the American College of Cardiology and has received awards from the American Heart Association, Cardiostim, the College of St Thomas, the IEEE, is an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau of The Netherlands , the Russ Award, NASPE’s Distinguished Service Award and many others. He is widely recognized and honored for his accomplishments. He founded the Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity and Life in Minneapolis, the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, the Archaeus Project and is a major supporter of the NASPE history project. He founded and supported the construction of the North Hawaii Community hospital which is devoted to the integration of scientific and complementary medicine, and is its Board President. He has extensively devoted himself to humanistic activities and support of the culture of the indigenous Hawaiians, where he now lives.

Interview Excerpts

The need for developing a portable power source for early pacing machines.(2:58 sec.; Real Audio)

Developing and marketing external pacemakers in the late 1950’s. (2:21 sec.; Real Audio)

The need for stronger and more flexible electrodes, speedometer cables and the development of platinum iridium components. (3:04 sec.; Real Audio)

The development of a new, modern, more holistic hospital that he has developed near his home in Hawaii. (2:20 sec.; Real Audio)

Excerpted from this interview:
Interviewer: Seymour Furman, MD
Date: May 17, 1996
Place: Seattle, Washington