A fuzzy logic-based system for anaesthesia monitoring

In recent years there has been a rapid growth in patient monitoring and medical data analysis using a number of computer-aided systems based on expert systems, fuzzy logic and many other intelligent techniques. Fuzzy logic-based expert systems have shown potential to improve clinician performance by imitating human thought processes in complex circumstances and accurately executing repetitive tasks to which humans are ill-suited. The main goal of this study was to develop a clinically useful diagnostic alarm system for detecting critical events during anaesthesia administration. The proposed diagnostic alarm system called Fuzzy logic monitoring system (FLMS) is presented. The performance of the system was validated through a series of off-line tests. When detecting hypovolaemia a substantial level of agreement was observed between FLMS and the human expert (the anaesthetist) during surgical procedures.