A virtual instrument (VI) for haemodynamic management in ICU and during surgery

Systolic pressure variations (SPV) during mechanical ventilation and its si ngle components, related to short apnea, reflect changes of the volemic con dition of the patient. To introduce their determination during clinical mon itoring for different fluid states and for different tidal volumes, they mu st be computed on-line without introducing interference with standard activ ities. A system computing on-line systolic pressure variation du ring mecha nical ventilation, connected to standard monitoring devices, has been propo sed. It is based on a notebook PC implemented with graphical software compr ising a user panel in the form of a virtual instrument and is able to acqui re, process and present signals from different instruments utilized in ICU and during surgery. It can be used as a base to assess the ability of compu ted parameters helpful in clinical decision. The use of a notebook PC and o pen software allows operators, even if non-expert in computer science, to t est and implement this, as well as other innovative tools in clinical pract ice.