History of the Multidisciplinary ICU
On July 14, 1958, one doctor's vision became a reality and changed the course of modern medical care. That physician, Peter Safar, M.D., an anesthesiologist by training, had developed an intense focus on the care of the critically ill. He planned for and opened the country's first multidisciplinary intensive care unit at Baltimore City Hospitals (now known as Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center).
Dr. Safar is also recognized as the "father of CPR." His research at Johns Hopkins Bayview, and later at the University of Pittsburgh, centered on the ABCs of resuscitation (airway, breathing, circulation). He worked with the Norwegian company Laerdal to develop a resuscitation mannequin. "Resusci-Annie" has become almost as well known as the technique she was developed to help teach. For his work, Dr. Safar was nominated on three occasions for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
The Critical Care Joint Practice Committee at Johns Hopkins Bayview has taken a leadership role in celebrating the accomplishments of Dr. Safar on this 50th anniversary of the intensive care unit, which will start with a series of internal celebrations beginning in July 2008. For each week, one of the six intensive care units at the Johns Hopkins Bayview will be highlighted and celebrated. Critical care staff and physicians within that specialty unit will be invited to share their stories and to educate on the art and the science of their specialty critical care.
On September 26, 2008, the celebration will culminate in a daylong symposium, called "Celebrating 50 Years: The Gold Standard in Multidisciplinary Intensive Care," at the Johns Hopkins Asthma & Allergy Center (located on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus). The symposium will focus on the past, present and future of critical care medicine. Dr. Joseph Parrillo, past president of the Society for Critical Care Medicine and the current editor in chief of the journal Critical Care Medicine, will serve as keynote speaker, delivering the first Safar Lecture. The symposium will also include talks on a variety of critical care topics from leading experts, a poster competition and the dedication of Dr. Safar's landmark works and publications at Baltimore City Hospitals.
Dr. Safar died in 2003. Members of his family and a number of his colleagues have been invited to the celebration.
To read more about the life of Peter Safar, M.D., click here.
