Key result
Historical review describes the early development of US cardiothoracic surgery and intensive care medicine.
Why the study?
It is important to celebrate the achievements of cardiothoracic surgical intensive care medicine by remembering the individuals responsible for their conception.
This historical review highlights the evolution of cardiothoracic surgical critical care medicine in the United States following the invention of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine.
Traces roots of modern cardiothoracic ICUs; leaves open how history informs training or innovation.
Cardiothoracic surgical intensive care has developed in response to advances in cardiothoracic surgery. The invention of the cardiopulmonary bypass machine facilitated a motionless and bloodless surgical field and made operations of increasing complexity feasible. By the mid-1950s, the first successful procedures utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass took place. This was soon followed by the establishment of postoperative recovery units, the precursors to current cardiothoracic surgical intensive care units. These developments fostered the emergence of a new medical specialty: the discipline of critical care medicine. Together, surgeons and intensivists transformed the landscape of acute, in-hospital care. It is important to celebrate these achievements by remembering the individuals responsible for their conception. This article describes the early days of cardiothoracic surgery and cardiothoracic intensive care medicine.
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Kopanczyk et al. (2022) conducted a review in Cardiothoracic surgical critical care. This historical review describes the early days of cardiothoracic surgery and the development of cardiothoracic intensive care medicine in the United States.
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