title: Computerized management of patient care in a complex, controlled clinical trial in the intensive care unit.
abstract: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is often not responsive to conventional supportive therapy and the mortality rate may exceed 90%. A new form of supportive care, extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R), has shown a dramatic increase in survival (48%). A controlled clinical trial of the new ECCO2R therapy versus conventional continuous positive pressure ventilation (CPPV) is being initiated. Detailed care protocols have been developed by 'expert' critical care physicians for the management of patients. Using a blackboard control architecture, the protocols have been implemented on an existing hospital information system and will direct patient care and help manage the controlled clinical trial. Therapeutic instructions are automatically generated by the computer from data input by physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and the laboratory. Preliminary results show that the computerized protocol system can direct therapy for acutely ill patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, LDS Hospital/University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84143.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Sittig
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beck
mesh_terms: D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D005103:Expert Systems; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D012107:Research Design; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States; D014589:Utah