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Telectronics

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Telectronics was an Australian company best known for its role in developing the pacemaker. The business was acquired by Pacific Dunlop. However, claims resulting from the sale of faulty pacemakers led to eventual sale of the assets of the company and Pacific Dunlop restructuring itself into Ansell.

Development of the pacemaker

Telectronics Pty Ltd was founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1963(2,3,13,8,9) by engineers Noel Gray and Geoffrey Wickham as a manufacturer of industrial and scientific instruments. (2,3,4). The company commenced cardiac pacemaker research in 1964(2,4) following on earlier research by engineer Keith W Jeffcoat and surgeon Mr Rowan Nicks(2,4) at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital of Sydney, funded in part by grant no. G171 of 1963 from the National Heart Foundation of Australia.(4,5,6). Control of the company was gained by Nucleus Holdings Pty Ltd in 1967.

Significant contributions to pacemaker technology by the company included the first use of integrated circuits (model P7 of 1968), the first hermetic sealing of the pacemaker in a titanium capsule (model P10 of 1971) and the first lithium-iodide(Wilson Greatbatch)-powered pacemakers using the combined technologies of integrated circuits and hermetic titanium encapsulation (model 120 of 1974) (2,3).

The first integrated circuits were developed by David Money(2,7) of A.W.A. Microelectronics Sydney, who was later to head the development of the cochlear implant for the profoundly deaf. David J. Cowdery(2,7) was responsible for development of the welding and ceramics technologies for the titanium encapsulation.

The company was incorporated in the USA in 1974, and in 1977 commenced US manufacture from the former General Electric facility in Milwaukee, later relocating to Denver. A manufacturing plant was also established at Chatellerault, France, in 1978.

Pacific Dunlop

Nucleus Limited, a group containing offshoots such as Telectronics, Medtel, Ausonics, Domedica and Cochlear Pty Ltd which developed the cochlear implant was floated on the Australian stock market. In 1988, it was acquired by Pacific Dunlop which was hoping to diversify away from so-called rustbelt companies. At the time of acquisition, Telectronics was number 2 in the worldwide pacemaker market. (1)

In January 1995, Telectronics was forced to recall thousands of pacemakers by the Food and Drug Administration leading to the company having to eventually settle expensive legal claims at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. (2) Pacific Dunlop sold most of the assets of Telectronics Pty Limited to St Jude Medical of Miami and Telectronics Pty Limited is now a shelf company TPL Pty Limited. Pacific Dunlop restructured in 2001 becoming Ansell with the high cost of the Telectronics settlement being a significant factor in the decision. (3)

Sources

  • "Australian Science At Work" "Telectronics Pty Ltd" Univ. Melbourne Australian Science and
 Technology Heritage Centre.  www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au
  • Corporate History of Pacific Dunlop
  • FDA BBS on faulty Telectronics leads January 24, 1995 retrieved 1 December 2005
  • Australian Science at Work entry on Nucleus Limited
  • "Technology in Australia 1788-1988" Melbourne University page 889
  • US Ruling endorses PacDun pacemaker claims proposal "The Adelaide Adveriser" Nov.22 2000
 retrieved through the Australian New Zealand Reference Centre 1 Dec 2005.
  • PacDun's Denmise "tragic" "Melbourne Age" April 2 2001 retrieved through Australian New
 Zealand Reference Centre December 1 2005.
  • "Cardiology in Australia and New Zealand" Mond H G, ISBN 0 7316 9320 5
  • "Treatment of complete heart block using an implantable transvenous pacemaker of
 Australian Manufacture: Technique and Results" Cartmill T B, Clark F B, Nicks R,
 Bernstein L, The Mediacl Journal Of Australia, Aug. 1968 pp 260-268.

Footnotes

(1) "Technology in Australia" 1788-1988". Op.Cit. page 889.

(2) "Telectronics and The History Of Pacemaking In Australia", Wickham G G, Jeffcoat KW, 1987, manuscript held by austehc University Of Melbourne (www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au.)

(3)"Telectronics The Early Years" Gray N D, Gray C J, 1994. ISBN 0 646151 34 7.

(4) Memoirs of Paul M Trainor, founder of Nucleus Ltd, controlling shareholder Telectronics 1967-1982, Chairman Telectronics 1969-1988.

(5) Royal Prince Alfred Hospital advice of payment note 7/27/1963.

(6) Letter K W Jeffcoat-Royal Prince Alfred Hospital 7/27/1963

(7) "The Story of the Bionic Ear", June Epstein,ISBN 0 947062 54 2, pp. 48,49,51

(8) Published Corporate Affairs and Taxation Returns records for Telectronics Pty Limited.

(9) Smith, Ailie. "Telectronics Pty Ltd (1963 - 1996)." Australian Science at Work, The University of Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/asaw/biogs/A000347b.htm

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