Critical care medicine and intensive care in obstetrics: in search of a legacy

Contrary to popular belief, the true architect of success in the care of critically ill patients and their families is not the use of complex interventions or advanced hemodynamic or multimodal monitoring. It is human talent that, with determination, vocation, and dedication, provides every day the best possible care in pursuit of the best clinical outcome. Recognizing the importance of human resource training and the promotion of critical-disruptive thinking, this article aims to present a dynamic account of the birth of critical care medicine as a specialty, its development in Colombia, and how obstetricians' interest in acquiring the necessary competences to lead the management of these patients evolved. Throughout this document, the reader will find an engaging narrative that pays tribute to the contributions made by visionaries who, by challeging the status quo, paved the way for future generations. This historical account also seeks to inspire the reader to embark on a path that leads to the breaking of paradigms, since death is not the cessation of the heartbeat or the absence of the respiratory impulse; it is an existence free from any questioning that undoubtedly marks the demise of the spirit.