title: The development of pediatric critical care medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: an interview with Dr. John J. 'Jack' Downes.
abstract: Dr. John J. 'Jack' Downes (1930-), the anesthesiologist-in-chief at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (1972-1996), has made numerous contributions to pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine through a broad spectrum of research on chronic respiratory failure, status asthmaticus, postoperative risks of apnea in premature infants, and home-assisted mechanical ventilation. However, his defining moment was in January 1967, when The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia inaugurated its pediatric intensive care unit--the first of its kind in North America. During his tenure, he and his colleagues trained an entire generation of pediatric anesthesiologists and intensivists and set a standard of care and professionalism that continues to the present day. Based on an interview with Dr. Downes, this article reviews a career that advanced pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine and describes the development of that first pediatric intensive care unit at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care Medicine & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. cmai1@partners.org
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Mai
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schreiner
authors.forename: Paul G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: Myron
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaster
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000266:history*; D002648:Child; D003422:Critical Care / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000266:history*; D015143:Philadelphia