System integration--the need in future anesthesia delivery systems

Although current anesthesia delivery systems possess the virtues of familiarity, ruggedness, reliability, and longevity, problems inherent in their design require remedy. These systems consist of discrete subsystems that are unrelated physically, functionally, or by communications. Production of derived values, as opposed to raw data, is almost unheard of, although transformed data may be much more useful in the clinical environment. Future anesthesia delivery systems will use microprocessors to integrate data from multiple sensors with calculation, display, and control functions--without removing the anesthesiologist from the control loop. New ergonomic data will promote design of equipment that can be optimally manufactured, marketed, and used in clinical care. The proliferation of new equipment with advanced design and application features creates challenges for a society conscious of rising health-care costs. Creative alternatives to conventional financing, ownership, and early obsolescence of anesthesia systems must be sought in order to ensure that the quality of and capability for anesthetic care will continue to advance.