Standard Opening
0.14


Space Technology Improves Heart Pacemaker
4.02


Standard Closing
0.15


Jennifer at play



Mrs. Chambers recharging pacemaker



Johns Hopkins University



Pacemakers, new and old



Mrs. Guarascio and Jennifer



Mrs. Guarascio on camera



Jennifer eats, plays in her room, watches TV



Mrs. Guarascio and Jennifer demonstrate charger



Continue demonstration



Charger off



Jennifer and her mother



Montage



Kathleen Guarascio sync
0.24


It has meant a lot because since Jennifer has had the pacemaker there has been a complete change in how she has grown in size. She is acting very normal. Where before she really couldn't play or keep up with the other children. It also means a great deal to us knowing that she doesn't have to be operated on every two years and also the size of it, that it is small enough for her. The other pacemakers were quite large.



Mrs. Guarascio and Jennifer sync
1.12


The pacemaker charger is very simple. It is convenient enough to carry. You can take it anywhere necessary to charge her. It is also very good if we were on a week's vacation were wouldn't have to take it with us. If you miss a week you can catch up on it. There would be no harm to jennifer if we should not do it.



That alarm means that the charging head is not meeting up. It lets us know it is not charging. When it stops the green light goes on and that means she is being charged, and when the whole charging period is finished a blue light goes on to let us know it is the end of the charge.



Mrs. Guarascio sync.
0.09


This means that she is charged for another week and we won't have to do it until next week.



Mrs. Guarascio sync.
0.08


The outlook for Jennifer's future is very good. The doctors say that she can live to be a ripe old age and she can grow up to be anything she wants to be.




Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THIS IS THREE AND ONE-HALF-YEAR-OLD JENNIFER GUARASCIO. SINCE JULY 1973 JENNIFER HAS BEEN USING A UNIQUE RECHARGEABLE PACEMAKER TO INCREASE HER HEART RATE FROM SLOW TO NEAR-NORMAL. SHE JOINS SOME SIXTY THOUSAND OTHER AMERICANS WHO HAVE HEART PACEMAKERS IMPLANTED EVERY YEAR.

DEVELOPED BY JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY, THE PACEMAKER MAKES USE OF POWER CELLS ORIGINALLY USED ABOARD SATELLITES IN SPACE. IT IS ??? THE THICKNESS AND ONE-THIRD THE VOLUME OF EARLIER MODELS, AND CAN BE PAINLESSLY RECHARGED FROM OUTSIDE THE BODY FOR TWENTY YEARS. THIS ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR SURGERY EVERY TWO YEARS TO REMOVE AND REPLACE BATTERIES.

MRS. KATHLEEN GUARASCIO TEALS WHAT THE NEW DEVICE HAS MEANT TO HER DAUGHTER, JENNIFER.

WHAT THE PACEMAKER DOES IS SEND AN ELECTRICAL IMPULSE TO THE HEART SPEEDING UP JENNIFER'S HEARTBEAT FROM A SLOW RATE OF 40 TO A NORMAL 72 BEATS A MINUTE. AND NORMAL SHE IS. SHE DOES NEARLY EVERYTHING A HEALTHY YOUNGSTER CAN DO, AND ESPECIALLY ENJOYS PLAYING WITH HER BROTHERS, COUSINS AND FRIENDS. HER ROUTINE IS DIFFERENT FOR ONLY 90 MINUTES A WEEK WHEN SHE RECHARGES THE PACEMAKER BATTERIES.

THE BASIC CONCEPT FOR THE LONG-LIFE BATTERY IN JENNIFER'S PACEMAKER HAS BEEN PROVEN IN OVER TEN YEARS OF SPACE USE.... A GOOD EXAMPLE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR SPACE NOW BEING USED TO HELP PEOPLE.