ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Neural networks are increasingly used to assess physiological processes or pathologies, as well as to predict the increased likelihood of an impending medical crisis, such as hypotension. METHOD: We compared the capabilities of a single hidden layer neural network of 12 nodes to those of a discrete-feature discrimination approach with the goal being to predict the likelihood of a given patient developing significant hypotension under spinal anesthesia when undergoing a Cesarean section (C/S). Physiological input information was derived from a non-invasive blood pressure device (Caretaker [CT]) that utilizes a finger cuff to measure blood pressure and other hemodynamic parameters via pulse contour analysis. Receiver-operator-curve/area-under-curve analyses were used to compare performance. RESULTS: The results presented here suggest that a neural network approach (Area Under Curve [AUC] = 0.89 [p < 0.001]), at least at the implementation level of a clinically relevant prediction algorithm, may be superior to a discrete feature quantification approach (AUC = 0.87 [p < 0.001]), providing implicit access to a plurality of features and combinations thereof. In addition, the expansion of the approach to include the submission of other physiological data signals, such as heart rate variability, to the network can be readily envisioned. CONCLUSION: This pilot study has demonstrated that increased coherence in Arterial Stiffness (AS) variability obtained from the pulse wave analysis of a continuous non-invasive blood pressure device appears to be an effective predictor of hypotension after spinal anesthesia in the obstetrics population undergoing C/S. This allowed us to predict specific dosing thresholds of phenylephrine required to maintain systolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg.
