30 September 2011 Inventor of pacemaker dies at 92 The National Heart Foundation of Australia was sad to hear today that

the inventor of the first successful implantable cardiac pacemaker, Wilson Greatbatch, has died in New York, aged 92. The first surgery to implant a pacemaker in Australia was conducted by Dr Graeme Sloman and Dr Harry Mond at Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1973. In 2009, around 12,500 pacemakers were implanted in Australia and 1.2million worldwide. The devices keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm. The invention of the implantable pacemaker was a very significant advance in the treatment of heart disease and continues to improve quality of life for millions of people around the world, said Professor James Tatoulis, Chief Medical Advisor at the Heart Foundation. As our population ages, the number of people requiring pacemakers continues to rise. They are also important for the treatment of heart failure, which affects an estimated 300,000 Australians, Professor Tatoulis said. Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle has become too weak to pump blood through the body and the heart rate becomes too slow. ends For more information please contact: Kerry Kalcher, Public Relations Projects Manager 0401 672 128 / kerry.kalcher@heartfoundation.org.au