Premium
The first intensive care unit in the world: Copenhagen 1953
Author(s) -
Berthelsen P. G.,
Cronqvist M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1046/j.1399-6576.2003.00256.x
Subject(s) - medicine , danish , intensive care unit , intensive care , intensive care medicine , philosophy , linguistics
After an extensive survey of the medical literature we present compelling evidence that the first intensive care unit was established at Kommunehospitalet in Copenhagen in December 1953. The pioneer was the Danish anaesthetist Bjørn Ibsen. The many factors that interacted favourably in Copenhagen to promote the idea of intensive care therapy, half a century ago, are also described.