RT Book, Section A1 Reichman, Eric F. SR Print(0) ID 57703209 T1 Chapter 31. Transcutaneous Cardiac Pacing T2 Emergency Medicine Procedures, 2e YR 2013 FD 2013 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-161352-1 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57703209 RD 2024/10/12 AB First documented as a technique in 1872, transcutaneous cardiac pacing (TCP) was successfully demonstrated in two patients with underlying cardiac disease and symptomatic bradycardia by Paul Zoll in 1952.1 Studies involving open-chest and transvenous pacing, as well as open-chest cardiac massage, were occurring simultaneously by other groups. Zoll recognized the clinical difficulty of these approaches for the treatment of “ventricular standstill” in an emergent setting.1,2 Zoll and colleagues performed animal experiments using electrodes placed in various positions prior to the use of subcutaneous needle electrodes at points “in a line transversing the ventricles” as described in the initial case report.1 In 1956, they described the use of their procedure during eight surgical cases in which cardiac arrest occurred, with five patients successfully surviving to discharge.2 At this time, cardiac monitoring during surgery was not routinely performed, thus the underlying rhythm being paced was not specifically determined in all reported cases.