[In Process Citation]

Intensive care medicine for both surgical and medical patients has a common scientific and clinical basis. In critically ill patients the medical conditions are complex and can be managed only by specialists thoroughly trained in intensive care medicine. Therefore, surgeons as well as anesthesiologists must have a detailed theoretical and clinical knowledge of intensive care medicine. Surgical training places the emphasis on operative skills, while intraoperative management of the patient by the anesthesiologist calls for skills involved in intensive care medicine. Interdisciplinary cooperation between specialists is essential to improve the quality of intensive care medicine further. The cooperation that already exists between surgeons and anesthesiologists makes closer collaboration in the future a logical step.