EXPERT-SYSTEMS IN ANESTHESIOLOGY

There are only a limited number of computer-based systems designed to support anesthesiologists in the operating room. This is evident from the very small number of publications on this topic. These systems may be classified by the functions they perform and include: intelligent anesthesia workstations (with current data acquisition, conditioning a nd analysis subsystems), systems to detect critical conditions in pati ents (including expert systems in smart alarm capacity), anesthesia ma nagement systems (for planning and management) and drug administration systems. Drug administration systems may be subdivided into open-loop and closed-loop systems. The techniques applied for design of such sy stems vary extensively. There are traditional rule-based expert system s and probability-based systems, and more recently developed artificia l intelligence methods, such as neural networks and fuzzy logic. Compu ters are valuable tools that have the potential to assist anesthesiolo gists in carrying out cumbersome and monotonous processes. Future effo rts may result in the development of sophisticated systems capable of assuming more responsibilities and of reducing human workload and stre ss.