Computers in biology and medicine
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In mechanically ventilated patients, Pulse Pressure Variation (PPV) has been shown to be a useful parameter to guide fluid management. We evaluated a real-time automated PPV-algorithm by comparing it to manually calculated PPV-values. In 10 critically ill patients, blood pressure was measured invasively (IBP) and non-invasively (CNAP(®) Monitor, CNSystems Medizintechnik, Austria). ⋯ PPVautoIBP was -0.19 ± 1.65% (mean bias ± standard deviation), PPVmanCNAP vs. PPVautoCNAP was -1.02 ± 2.03% and PPVautoCNAP vs. PPVmanIBP was -2.10 ± 3.14%, suggesting that the automated CNAP(®) PPV-algorithm works well on both blood pressure waveforms but needs further clinical evaluation.
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A computerized decision support system is described to predict the changes in the cerebral blood flow (CBF) of mechanically ventilated infants in response to different ventilatory settings. A CBF controller was developed and combined with a mathematical model of the infant's respiratory system to simulate the effects of ventilatory settings on the infant's CBF. ⋯ These included the results obtained under conditions of hypoventilation, hyperventilation, hypoxia, and hyperoxia. The presented decision support system has the potential to be used as an aide to the intensivist in choosing appropriate ventilation treatments for infants to prevent the untoward consequences of hazardous changes in CBF in mechanically ventilated infants such as hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries.