In 1955, Dr. Karl William Edmark founded The Physio-Control Co. to market his “Heartbeat Indicator,” a device that monitored heartbeats. After relocating to Seattle, he developed the first DC defibrillator, which delivered controlled, low-voltage shocks, unlike the traumatic high-voltage AC defibrillators.
In 1968, Physio-Control introduced the Lifepak 33, the lightest defibrillator at 34 pounds. By 1971, the company went public and was acquired by Eli Lilly in 1980.
Following production shutdowns in 1992 due to FDA reviews, Physio-Control was sold to Bain Capital in 1994 and then acquired by Medtronic in 1998. The company launched the LUCAS CPR device in 2003 and Lifepak 15 in 2008.
Physio-Control was reacquired by Bain Capital in 2011 and later purchased by Stryker Corporation in 2016. Now a subsidiary of Stryker, Physio-Control released the LIFEPAK 35 Monitor/Defibrillator in 2024.
