The National Symposium organized by the Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the Military Medical Academy was held at the MMA.

About 300 participants from the country and the region attended the lectures and practical demonstrations by members of the MMA and civil health institutions - the Clinical Center of Serbia, the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases "Dedinje" and the University Clinical Center from Banja Luka.

In his welcoming speech, the Head of the Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the MMA, Colonel Prof. Dr. Dragan Đorđević, recalling the commemoration of 180 years of the MMA, has emphasized the long journey and development of the Clinic itself, which, like other surgical branches, continues to promote this military medical institution in the country and abroad, and that today's gathering is dedicated not only to history but also to the future of military anesthesiology and MMA.

"Modern anesthesiology was born here at the end of 1945 with the arrival of a group of English doctors who trained the first anesthesiologist in Serbia - Dr. Sever Kovačev, and since then it has been considered the first school of anesthesia in Serbia. This is evidenced by the fact that some of the most important anesthesiologists in Serbia, such as professors Mihajlović, Marenović, Jovanović, Filipović, Romić, Slavković, Veljović, were at the head of the Department of Anesthesia, and later of the Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the MMA, emphasized Dr. Dragan Đorđević.

Head of the Group of Surgical Clinics of the MMA, Colonel Prof. Dr. Boban Đorđević, opening the traditional gathering of anesthesiologists at the MMA, emphasized the importance of anesthesia for the whole of medicine.

"They call you powerful people from the shadows, but I would add that you are the main pillar of the entire medicine, and especially the MMA, where a history was made that we must not forget." Today, it is unthinkable that any modern procedure or any great success in surgery and other branches of medicine can be done without an anesthesiologist and anesthesia."

He also added that as the vice-dean of the Medical Faculty of the MMA of the University of Defense, he was proud that a large number of young people recognized the Anesthesia School of the MMA.

"We must not forget the pioneering works in these areas, such as Dr. Subotic and the introduction of the first methods of anesthesia with ether, and later, unfortunately, thanks to war surgery - all operative methods performed under general anesthesia. Your power is best shown by your power in intensive care units, which is why we consider you the support of all medical branches" - concluded Col Prof. Dr. Boban Đorđević.

The expert gathering entitled "News in anesthesiology and intensive therapy" was intended as a unique review of the lessons learned from the previous five years, and included lectures on the topic of modern therapies, drugs, and technological modernization in the form of guidelines for the future of the principle of hemofiltration - invasive and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, experiences in the application of certain medications, parameters for monitoring the nutrition of patients in intensive care units, management of massive bleeding, anesthesia in emergency carotid surgery, challenges of pain therapy in trauma, regional anesthesia in shoulder surgery. In the practical part of the symposium, through workshops, training, and skill acquisition, the topics of securing the airway, percutaneous tracheotomy, bronchoscopy in intensive care units, and other potential ways to adequately secure the airway were covered.