A Northern Ireland-born heart expert whose pioneering techniques saved countless lives has died at the age of 88. Professor Frank Pantridge, best known for developing the portable defibrillator, died on Sunday. He invented the device in 1965 while working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Defibrillators provide a controlled electric shock to the chests of patients to restore the heart to its normal rhythm. Mr Pantridge’s invention operated from car batteries, and variants of this are used across the world. Before this, defibrillators could only be operated from the mains electricity supply in hospitals. Dubbed “the father of emergency medicine”, Mr Pantridge installed his first portable defibrillator in an ambulance. This pre-hospital coronary care unit was known as the Pantridge Plan.