Anesthesia origins of the intensive care physician

The origin of the modern intensive care physician is the anesthesiologist. Initially, having expertise in oxygen delivery, anesthesiologists provided care to critically ill patients during polio epidemics and cardiac surgery. Later, an anesthesiologist called for the creation of a new subspecialty which has become known as intensive care. The intensivist is the physician responsible for the total care of the critically ill patient in the intensive care unit. Many studies have shown that the intensivist decreases the mortality and morbidity of the critically ill patient, in addition to improving the efficiency of patient care. Although the intensivist is central to the function of critical care units, the origins of the modern-day intensivist remain elusive and ill defined. In the early 20th century, an anesthesiologist defined "anoxemia" and its treatment in the postoperative period. Later, treatment of hypoxia was improved with oxygen delivery via nasal mask. In the 1950s, the polio epidemic and the development of cardiac surgery led to critically ill patients being collected in large wards. Anesthesiologists played an important role in the care of these patients. In the early 1960s, an anesthesiologist identified the need for the intensivist. This paper explores the development of anesthesiologists into intensivists.