Eugene Braunwald: Maestro Of American Cardiology pg. 2
However, a year later, serendipity came into play. One of Braunwald’s patients with an implanted carotid nerve stimulator was admitted to the hospital with an AMI. Fearing that stimulating the carotid sinus nerves would exacerbate the evolving MI, Braunwald asked the patient to turn off the device. The patient ignored him and continued to press the stimulator to relieve his pain. Eventually, after several “on-off” episodes, Braunwald, in exasperation, removed the stimulator’s battery pack.
Later, when he was reviewing the patient’s electrocardiogram, which had been recorded throughout this period, Braunwald realized that the “patient was a lot smarter than I.” The oxygen deficiency of his patient’s heart actually improved whenever he stimulated his carotid sinus nerves, and worsened when Braunwald turned off the stimulator—the exact opposite of what he had expected. He was thunderstruck.
“That gave me the idea that you might actually be able to modify an MI while it is progressing,” says Braunwald.
Sound of music
Braunwald’s life took a chilling turn on March 12, 1938, however, when the Nazis occupied Austria. He was immediately expelled from school.
Only a few days later, an SS officer arrived at the Braunwald home (which was attached to the business) and methodically set about liquidating the business holdings, keeping the profits for himself. Two months later, a group of Nazis barged into the home at around 3:00 a.m. and arrested William Braunwald, throwing him into a truck and carting him and other detainees to the train station to be shipped off to a “work” camp.
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