Peter Safar facts for kids

Peter Safar (born April 12, 1924 – died August 2, 2003) was an Austrian doctor. He was an anesthesiologist, which means he specialized in giving medicine to make people sleep during surgery. He is famous for creating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Early Life and Education

Peter Safar was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1924. His family was involved in medicine. His father was an eye doctor, and his mother was a children's doctor.

He finished his studies at the University of Vienna in 1948. In 1949, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States. There, he trained in surgery at Yale University.

By 1952, he finished his training in anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania. That same year, he helped start the first anesthesiology department in Lima, Peru. In 1954, he became the head of anesthesiology at Baltimore City Hospital.

Developing CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)

Peter Safar is known for his work on CPR. He worked with James Elam to figure out the first steps of CPR. These steps included tilting the head and lifting the chin of an unconscious person. This helps to open their airway. They also focused on mouth-to-mouth breathing.

Safar showed that even regular people could use mouth-to-mouth breathing to save lives. He did experiments with volunteers who could not breathe on their own. He proved that a rescuer's breath could give enough oxygen to the victim.

He combined the A (Airway) and B (Breathing) parts of CPR with C (chest compressions). This became the well-known A-B-C system. In 1957, he wrote a book called ABC of Resuscitation. This book became the guide for teaching many people how to do CPR. The American Heart Association later used this system for CPR training standards in 1973.

Safar also worked with Norwegian doll maker Asmund Laerdal. Laerdal's company created mannequins for CPR training. These training dolls are called Resusci Anne.

Other Important Achievements

Peter Safar had many other important achievements in medicine.

First Intensive Care Unit

In 1958, Safar helped create the United States' first intensive-care unit (ICU). This was at Baltimore City Hospital. An ICU is a special hospital ward for patients who are very sick and need constant care.

Emergency Medical Services

In 1961, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh. There, he started a famous anesthesiology department. He also began the world's first training program for intensive-care medicine.

In 1966, his daughter, Elizabeth, died at age 12 from a severe asthma attack. This sad event deeply affected him. It inspired him to improve emergency care outside of hospitals.

He started the Freedom House Ambulance Service in 1967. This was one of the first pre-hospital emergency medical services in the United States. He worked with Dr. Nancy Caroline to set standards for emergency medical technician (EMT) training. They also set standards for how mobile intensive-care ambulances should be designed and equipped. The Freedom House Ambulance service hired young African Americans who had trouble finding jobs. Many of them later had successful careers in emergency services.

Founding Medical Societies

In 1970, Safar helped start the Society of Critical Care Medicine. This group focuses on caring for very sick patients. He was the society's second president in 1971.

In 1976, he also helped create the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM). This group works to save lives during major disasters.

Disaster Reanimatology Research

In 1979, Safar left his role as head of anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh. He then founded the International Resuscitation Research Center. This center is now called the University of Pittsburgh Safar Center for Resuscitation Research. It focuses on cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation (CPCR), which means saving the heart and brain.

He and Nicholas Bircher wrote a textbook on CPCR that became a global standard. Safar also led a research team called the Disaster Reanimatology Study Group (DRSG). They studied emergency responses to disasters around the world. For example, they studied the earthquake in Armenia in 1989. These studies helped create the idea of the "Golden 24 Hours" for disaster response. This means the first 24 hours after a disaster are the most important for saving lives.

Peter Safar continued his research until he died. His main goal was to "save the hearts and brains of those too young to die." He also wanted to improve life-saving efforts during disasters. He called this field "Disaster Reanimatology."

Awards and Recognition

In 1999, Peter Safar received the Cross of Honor. This is Austria's highest award for civilians. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. On September 13, 2014, the Alliance of Germanic Societies of Pittsburgh also honored him.

Death

Peter Safar died on August 2, 2003, at his home in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He was 79 years old and died from cancer.

See also

In Spanish: Peter Safar para niños

• Mechanical ventilation