title: The Clinical Utilisation of Respiratory Elastance Software (CURE Soft): a bedside software for real-time respiratory mechanics monitoring and mechanical ventilation management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Real-time patient respiratory mechanics estimation can be used to guide mechanical ventilation settings, particularly, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). This work presents a software, Clinical Utilisation of Respiratory Elastance (CURE Soft), using a time-varying respiratory elastance model to offer this ability to aid in mechanical ventilation treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  CURE Soft is a desktop application developed in JAVA. It has two modes of operation, 1) Online real-time monitoring decision support and, 2) Offline for user education purposes, auditing, or reviewing patient care. The CURE Soft has been tested in mechanically ventilated patients with respiratory failure. The clinical protocol, software testing and use of the data were approved by the New Zealand Southern Regional Ethics Committee.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using CURE Soft, patient's respiratory mechanics response to treatment and clinical protocol were monitored. Results showed that the patient's respiratory elastance (Stiffness) changed with the use of muscle relaxants, and responded differently to ventilator settings. This information can be used to guide mechanical ventilation therapy and titrate optimal ventilator PEEP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CURE Soft enables real-time calculation of model-based respiratory mechanics for mechanically ventilated patients. Results showed that the system is able to provide detailed, previously unavailable information on patient-specific respiratory mechanics and response to therapy in real-time. The additional insight available to clinicians provides the potential for improved decision-making, and thus improved patient care and outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Control Engineering and Information, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary. szlavecz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Akos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szlavecz
authors.forename: Yeong Shiong
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chiew
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Redmond
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beatson
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glassenbury
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pretty
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Balazs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benyo
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Desaive
authors.forename: J Geoffrey
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Chase
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000379:methods; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000502:physiology*; D012984:Software; D012122:Ventilators, Mechanical