[The initial period in the formation of cardiac resuscitation service at the A. N. Bakulev Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (1948-1973)].

The paper describes and analyzes the initial period in the formation of cardiac resuscitation service at the A. N. Bakulev Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, from the first heart operation performed in the USSR to the setting up of the resuscitation-anesthesiology department. On September 24, 1948, A. N. Bakulev was the first in the USSR to make an operation for congenital heart disease, the successful outcome of which predetermined anesthetic maintenance and antishock measures as well. On May 1959, the Institute of Thoracic Surgery, U.S.S.R. Academy of Medical Sciences, began performing heart operations under extracorporeal circulation. The number of postoperative complications has increased due to the higher severity of diseases and the complexity of open heart surgery. This has made the rehabilitative period require that vital function recovery specialists should participate more frequently (Smirenskaya Ye. M.), which ultimately give birth to a resuscitation department in January 1967 (Levant A. D.) and its transformation to a resuscitation-anesthesiology department on October 31, 1973 (Malyshev V. D.).