[The role of anaesthesiology in intensive care (author's transl)]

The German Society of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation was founded in 1953. The change of name to "German Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care" in 1977 reflects the development that this specialty has undergone since 1953; it is also an indication of the claim of anaesthesia to play a part in the care of the critically ill surgical patient. To the questions: what is the basis for this claim, what can anaesthesia contribute towards the care of these cases, where is the dividing line between anaesthesia and the other disciplines concerned in intensive care, what effect has intensive care work on the training of the anaesthetist, the answers are as follows: the concern of the anaesthetist is the care of the patient whose vital functions are impaired by surgery, anaesthesia or disease; he has therefore acquired techniques and means to maintain and assist these vital functions. His work in the intensive care ward is thus often no more than a continuation of the work he is doing in the operating theatre. This does not mean that he should replace the clinician of the traditional specialties working in the intensive care unit; rather that he should function as a co-ordinator as regards the type and course of treatment and nursing. For the anaesthetist there is the advantage that he can enlarge and consolidate the skill and knowledge acquired in the operating theatre, deepen his understanding of pathophysiological conditions and gain experience and assurance in evaluation of a variety of clinical situations. By becoming competent in diverse fields (at a time when the general trend is for ever more specialization) he will contribute towards raising the status of the anaesthetist who is still apt to be regarded as merely a technician.