The first 20 years of bradypacing in the Netherlands - with special reference to organisational structures

In 1958, Arne Larson was the first patient to undergo an implantation of a completely internal pacemaker. Four years after this successful implantation by Senning and Elmquist in Sweden, Brom implanted the first internal system in a Dutch patient in Leiden.The pioneering work and the early history of bradypacing in the Netherlands until 1982 are described. This article covers the involvement of different specialists, organisations and some of the technical problems encountered during the rapid increase in the number of implantations and the establishment of specialist centres. The important role of Thalen and Rodrigo, as founding fathers of cardiac pacing in the Netherlands, is also highlighted. (Neth Heart J 2008;16(Suppl1):S5-S8.).