The authors refer on the launching and developing of the first resuscitation ward in the Czech Republic, possibly the first one in the central Europe at all. The importance of the hospital „Na Františku“ in the context of the Czech medicine is stressed. The paper presents the history of the ward, the drawbacks of the development, discontinuation of the service, along with the portrait of the patient population. It has been clear since the beginning that there is a need for creating a facility for protracted intensive care patients, beyond immediate and acute resuscitation care.

        Key words: establishing of the resuscitation ward – protracted intensive care