DEPARTMENT OF INTENSIVE CARE

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

CLINICAL ACTIVITIES

The Department of Intensive Care consists of the Central Resuscitation Unit and the Resuscitation and Intensive Care Unit located in the Trauma and Emergency Centre, where the highest level of resuscitation care is provided to patients with various pathologies and life-threatening conditions from all over Lithuania.

Consultant anaesthesiologists and reanimatologists provide urgent consultative healthcare assistance to the intensive care units of the Kaunas region; resuscitation and transport teams perform resuscitation in Kaunas Clinics and transport patients in the most difficult conditions from all over Lithuania to Kaunas Clinics by ambulance.

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) chamber

During the barotherapy procedure, the concentration of oxygen in the blood plasma and lymph increases about 20 times and it begins to penetrate the body tissues. This is extremely important for patients suffering from respiratory insufficiency, various inflammations, infections, and non-healing wounds, for whom the impaired metabolism in the body is restored in this way.

HISTORY

The history of intensive care is most clearly marked by the following events:

In 1958, a one-bed intensive monitoring post was established in the Surgical Department of the then Republican Kaunas Clinical Hospital (RKCL). Academician Zigmas Januskevičius was the initiator of the implementation of intensive therapy in this hospital.

In 1963, Prof. Aldona Lukoševičiūtė successfully used electrical heart defibrillation for the first time in Lithuania and together with RKCL Chief Doctor P. Jašinskas and deputy for medical affairs S. Daktaravičius started to organise the resuscitation service.

In 1965, the first resuscitators started working in the hospital therapy department: B. Šlapikienė, G. Kanaporis, S. Taftienė, A. Vaičėnas, long-term artificial lung ventilation was begun.

In 1968, a 6-bed Resuscitation and Intensive Care unit was being established in the hall of the third floor of the central clinical hospital building. In the same year Z. Statkevičius performed peritoneal dialysis here for the first time, and in 1969 Z. Dulevičius applied haemodialysis.

In 1975, the Department of Anaesthesiology-Reanimatology was established at the Kaunas Medical Institute, for it and also for the activities of anaesthesiology and intensive therapy in clinics until 1994, led by Prof. A. Lukoševičiūtė.

In the mid-1970s, intensive care specialisation began at the Kaunas Republican Clinical Hospital, and the number of intensive care beds increased to 36.

In 1981, a hyperbaric oxygenation sub-unit was opened at the Central Resuscitation Unit (Head L. Mackevičius).

In 1983, after opening the doors of the new neurosurgery corps in the hospital, the Neurosurgical Reanimation Unit was also established.

In 1983-1984, Kaunas Medical Institute prepared the first and only class of medical reanimatologists. Until 1983 and since 1984 anaesthesiologists-reanimatologists were and are being trained.

In 1985, the construction of the new operational block started, to which in 1988 the 18-bed Central Intensive Care unit also moved.

In 1994, Prof. Dagmara Reingardienė was elected as the new head of the Department of Anaesthesiology-Reanimatology.

In 1997, during the reorganisation of profile clinics, the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Clinics were separated and became independent units. Until 2001, the Department of Intensive Care, which consisted of the Central Resuscitation, Neurosurgical Resuscitation, Emergency Units and the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Units of the Oncology Hospital were led by Prof. D. Reingardienė.

In 2001-2021, the Department of Intensive Care was headed by Prof. Vidas Pilvinis.