What influenced the evolution of the specialty of anaesthesia and intensive care in postwar Czechoslovakia?

The evolution of anaesthesiology in Czechoslovakia was built upon a tradition of high surgical standards. In contrast to continental practice, anaesthesia was administered by specialists separate from the surgical profession in the Anglo-Saxon countries. As surgical interventions became more invasive and more complex, it became apparent that separate professional staff were needed to monitor and preserve the life-functions of the patient. A more specialized anaesthetic organization was formed as a part of general surgical practice in our countries in 1952. However, based on the experience at the centre of the World Health Organization in Copenhagen, it was decided to separate anaesthesia from surgery and to form an independent specialty, to broaden its scope into intensive care and to spread the knowledge of basic resuscitation practice outside the medical profession in 1961. Finally this led to the teaching of basic life support skills throughout all levels of the lay educational system.

Keywords: anaesthesiology; surgery