[Scientific acquisition of knowledge in operative medicine. The importance of intensive care medicine].

The forms of treatment in intensive care medicine and the medicinal and instrumental equipment for maintaining the circulation, pulmonary and renal functions as well as surveillance for recognition of life-threatening arrhythmias or multiorgan failure have experienced an enormous development in recent decades. Survival of traumatized or critically ill patients has been substantially improved. Due to these developments surgeons are confronted with new patterns of diseases which necessitate the development of new operative measures. This article gives a review of the most important changes in operative medicine (e.g. traumatology and vascular surgery) which can essentially be attributed to experience and success in intensive care medicine.