The history of biomedical implantable devices is traced from its beginning in the late 1950s to its status today. The role of industry in making this development possible is highlighted. Special emphasis is placed on the early history of the implantable cardiac pacemaker, the first implantable, electronic biomedical device. Implantable drug delivery systems and the implantable defibrillator are also discussed. Implantable devices of the future are briefly described.

The reduction in pacemaker size coupled with the addition of more current demanding functions has motivated the development of batteries that can supply higher current densities at useful voltages than the lithium/iodine batteries in use today while retaining the volumetric energy density of that system. The lithium/CFx system offers an attractive alternative for advanced pacemaker systems. The battery can deliver currents in the milliampere range without significant voltage drop. The system is compatible with titanium casing, allowing a 50% reduction in weight over the same size lithium/iodine battery. Cells have been designed and tested in these laboratories and have been shown to be suitable for advanced pacemaker applications.

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