[Interdisciplinary cooperation between anaesthesiology and surgery from the surgeon's point of view (author's transl)].

The development of anaesthesiology has brought about a great variety of problems e.g. unforeseen capacities, money, vacancies and equipment. The patients welfare, of course necessitates the establishment of anaesthesiological departments wherever operations are being performed. We believe that in hospitals without anaesthesiologists an experienced physician should devote himself to the above mentioned duties, which should not be allowed to be of less quality. This is the only way to avoid serious complications. Furthermore, the type of operation and selection of patients have to consider these factors. Risky patients should not be operated on in hospitals without an anaesthesiologist. In a single-man-anaesthesia department the surgical colleagues should be temporarily transferred to assist in the anaesthesiologic department. If there is no possibility of using modern anaesthesia, neither through an anaesthesiologist nor an experienced surgeon, the range of surgery should be limited to the more riskless areas of the body or to operations that can be done in local anaesthesia.