Resuscitation
-
Biography Historical Article
Resuscitation great. Karel Wenckebach: the story behind the block.
The first documentation of a human atrioventricular (AV) block dates back to 1873, when A. L. Galabin reported a 34-year-old patient using an apexcardiogram. ⋯ This clinical entity is the first and most common of two types of 2nd degree AV block. This manuscript reviews the life of Karel F. Wenckebach and the events that led this great Dutch physician to make one of the most important contributions to the field of cardiology.