Distinguished physician, cardiologist and war hero, Frank Pantridge’s legacy is the portable defibrillator, which earned him the worldwide reputation as “the father of emergency medicine”.
Born in Hillsborough in 1916, Frank Pantridge attended Queen’s University Belfast, graduating in Medicine in 1939 –just as World War II was declared.
He joined up and was stationed in Singapore when the Japanese captured the island. Pantridge became a prisoner of war, and was put to work on the notorious Siam-Burma railway. During this period he contracted cardiac beriberi, which he suffered from for the rest of his life. After the war Frank Pantridge was awarded the Military Cross.
Back in Northern Ireland, he began working in the Royal Victoria Hospital. He got a chance to study cutting-edge cardiac medicine in the US and on his return he established an innovative cardiology unit at the hospital.
With his colleague Dr John Geddes, Pantridge went on to introduce the now-familiar system of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Pantridge had determined that patients needed to be treated before they got to hospital. This led to his introduction of the first mobile coronary care unit able to provide pre-hospital care.
In 1965 he developed the first version of his portable defibrillator. Weighing some 70kg, it was installed in a number of Belfast ambulances. Pantridge continued to improve the design, eventually reducing its weight to only 3kg and, crucially, incorporating a fail-safe mechanism. Pantridge argued that if non-physicians could perform CPR, then they could safely use defibrillators, which he believed should be as commonplace as fire extinguishers.
Pantridge’s invention is now installed in all UK front-line ambulances and in many public spaces, and is credited with having saved many thousands of lives.
Ba lia, cairdeolaí agus laoch cogaidh é Frank Pantridge, ach an oidhreacht is mó a d’fhág sé ná an dífhibrileoir iniompartha. Is mar gheall air sin a fuair sé clú agus cááil ar fud an domhain mar athair an leighis éigeandála (“the father of emergency medicine”).
Rugadh Fran Pantridge in Hillsborough in 1916, d’fhreastail sé ar Ollscoil na Banríona, Béal Feirste agus bhain sé céim amach sa Leigheas in 1939 - díreach nuair a fógraíodh an Chéad Chogadh Domhanda.
Chuaigh leis an arm agus lonnaíodh i Singeapór é nuair a ghabh na Seapánaigh an t-oileán. Bhí Pantridge ina chime cogaidh, agus cuireadh i mbun oibre é ar an iarnród mhíchlúiteach Siam-Burma. Tháinig beri-beri cairdiach air le linn na tréimhse seo, agus d’fhulaing sé sin an chuid eile dá shaol. Bronnadh Cros Míleata ar Frank Partridge i ndiaidh an chogaidh.
Nuair a phill sé ar Thuaisceart Éireann, thosaigh sé ag obair in Otharlann Ríoga Victoria. Fuair sé deis le staidéar a dhéanamh ar leigheas ceannródaíoch cairdiach sna SA agus nuair a phill sé, chuir sé aonad nuálach cairdeolaíochta ar bun san otharlann.
In éineacht lena chomhghleacaí, Dr John Geddes, thug Pantridge an athbheochan chardascamhógach (ACS) isteach, atá anois in úsáid go forleathan. Fuair Pantridge amach go raibh cóir leighis de dhíth ar othair sular bhain siad an otharlann amach. Mar thoradh air seo, cruthaíodh an chéad aonad soghluaiste cúraim chorónaigh, a bhí ábalta cúram réamh-otharlainne a thabhairt.
Sa bhliain 1965, chruthaigh sé an chéad leagan dá dhífhibrileoir iniompartha. Bhí thart fá 70 kg meáchain ann, cuireadh i roinnt otharcharr i mBéal Feirste é. Lean Pantridge ar aghaidh ag forbairt an deartha, agus de réir a chéile d’éirigh leis an meáchan a laghdú go 3kg, agus rud atá an-tábhachtach, meicníocht slán i gcás teipe a chur san áireamh. Rinne Pantridge an cás go dtiocfadh le daoine nach lianna iad dífhibrileoirí a úsáid ó tharla go dtig leo ACS a dhéanamh, agus gur cheart go mbeadh dífhibrileoirí chomh coitianta le múchtóirí tine.
Tá aireagán Pantridge curtha isteach in achan otharcharr tosaigh sa RA agus i gcuid mhór spásanna poiblí, agus meastar gur sábháladh na mílte duine dá bharr.
