Robert Fischell Lecture at the University of Maryland

Event Details

Time: October 22, 2008 at 5pm
Location: 1115 Computer Science Instructional Center, University of Maryland - College Park
Event Type: Seminar
Organized By: Chris Fuller - cfuller@umd.edu
Latest Activity: Oct 15, 2008

Event Description

Fischell Lecture Featuring Robert E. Fischell
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
5:00 p.m.
1115 Computer Science Instructional Center (CSIC)
For More Information:
Chris Fuller
cfuller@umd.edu

The Fischell Lecture Series:
A Guardian Angel for the Heart

By Dr. Robert E. Fischell

For many years, the time it takes from when a patient recognizes some symptom of a heart attack until he/she arrives at an emergency room has remained at about 3 hours. The typical time it takes for the patient to then be treated in the catherization laboratory is about another 3 hours. Therefore, the total time from when the patient recognizes some symptom until actual treatment for the heart attack is typically about 6 hours. At about 2 hours the heart muscle starts to die and by about 3-4 hours that damage is permanent. It has been shown that there is an increase of about 7% in the death rate for every 30 minutes that treatment for the patient is delayed. On February 22, 1999, Robert,David and Tim Fischell filed a first patent on a means and method to place a computer controlled sensor under the skin of a patient's chest with a wire having an electrode in the heart that can sense the occurrence of a heart attack even before there is any noticeable symptom of that heart attack. Shortly thereafter, a new company, Angel Medical Systems, Inc. was formed to create a system for the earliest possible warning of a heart attack based upon the concepts in that patent. Now, 9 years and 35 million dollars later, 37 patients have had the AngelMed Guardian implanted under the skin in their chest. As of July 2008, the lives of five of these patients were saved by an early warning from the Guardian by means of a vibration signal similar to the vibration used with a cell phone. In July 2008, the system was approved for commercial sale in Brazil where the first 20 implants took place. Also in July 2008, the FDA approved the plan for the pivotal clinical trial for the AngelMed Guardian system so that commercial sale of this system in the USA could be available as early as mid-2010. When that occurs, US citizens who have a serious coronary condition will be able to get this guardian angel for their heart.

There will be a reception before the lecture in the CSIC building lobby.

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Comment by Joshua Silverstein on October 15, 2008 at 8:50am: About the Speaker

Robert E. Fischell received his BSME degree from Duke University and M.S. and Sc.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. Dr. Fischell was employed at the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory full-time for 25 years and part-time for an additional 13 years. At John’s Hopkins Dr. Fischell was the Chief Engineer of the Space Department where he worked on more than 50 spacecraft. His interests at Johns Hopkins then turned to the invention of new medical devices such as pacemakers and implantable heart defibrillators. Starting in 1969, Dr. Fischell began the formation of 14 private companies that licensed his patents on medical devices. These companies included Pacesetter Systems, Inc. (now called St. Jude Medical, the second largest manufacturer of heart pacemakers), IsoStent, Inc. (new stent concepts now licensed to the Johnson & Johnson Company), NeuroPace, Inc. (a responsive electrical stimulator of brain tissue to eliminate epileptic seizures), NeuraLieve, Inc (a company that uses high intensity magnetic pulses to erase migraine headaches), and Angel Medical Systems, Inc. (an implantable device that alarms a patient that he is having a heart attack before any symptom is felt). Dr. Fischell is a prolific inventor with over 200 issued US and foreign patents many of which have started new medical device companies. He is a Trustee of the University of Maryland, College Park Foundation and a member of the Board of Visitors for the College of Engineering and the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Dr. Fischell’s honors include Inventor of the Year for the USA in 1984, election to the National Academy of Engineering, the Distinguished Physics Alumnus Award of the U. of Md., and several medals for distinguished accomplishments in science, engineering and innovation. In 2004 Discover magazine gave Dr. Fischell their annual award for Technology for Humanity. In 2005 he received the TED award (with a $100,000 prize) for contributions to medical technology. Also in 2005 Dr. Fischell provided a philanthropic gift of $30M to create and fund the Fischell Department of Bioengineering in the Clark School of Engineering. In 2007 he received the Master Inventor award from the Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University and the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Prize for Public Service from the Woodrow Wilson Society for Scholars. In May 2008 he received an honorary degree as Doctor of Humane Letters from the Johns Hopkins University in recognition of his many contributions to betterment of mankind.