title: Automatic control of anesthesia using two feedback variables.
abstract: A new controller of an ON/OFF type was implemented for halothane anesthesia. A proportional-plus-integral controller with time-delay compensation proved not to be robust enough for the known clinical situation, as shown both in computer simulations and in animal trials. The ON/OFF controller proved to be less sensitive to parameter mismatches, and repeated animal trials showed a short response time and acceptable steady-state tracking. A method for switching the controlled effect of the drug was also developed, since anesthetic agents have multiple effects. Mean arterial blood pressure and a measure of EEG frequency were chosen as controlled variables, both being depressed by halothane. A coordinator forces the system state as near the desired values of these variables as possible, given that only one drug is used.
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004285:Dogs; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005246:Feedback; D006221:Halothane; D006801:Humans; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D006221:Halothane