Object-oriented data management: an approach to computerized anaesthesia documentation.

The main problem of today's anaesthesia department is that it spans a multiplicity of locations for data management dealing with data on the pre-OP, intra-OP, and post-OP situation as well as with data obtained from the laboratories, the administration, etc. In the operating room itself, numerous monitoring devices and anaesthesia machines have to be integrated into the anaesthesia documentation process. Therefore, computerized anaesthesia documentation as a part of quality control urgently needs sufficient support for handling both medical and administrative data, taking into account that the user usually is not a computer expert. We will describe an approach to solve the problem discussed applying object-oriented technology in medical data management, and a sequence of technical realization steps to bring this technology into clinical use.

[A diagnostic expert system]. / Diagnose Expertensystem.

The introduction of new technologies in the field of electronics has influenced the development of technical equipment over the last few years. The progressive miniaturization of integrated circuits makes possible an expansion of the spectrum of functions offered by this equipment. This also applies to medical technology. These more complex units call for new methods of fault detection and diagnosis. In addition to analytical redundancy, tools developed by the artificial intelligence research community, such as expert systems, are becoming more and more important for fault diagnosis. On the basis of a realized diagnosis expert system the possibilities as well as the limits of such system are discussed. Also, possible future developments of artificial intelligence, like machine learning, are considered.

[A stress-dependent pulsatile cardiovascular model as the basis for regulating artificial hearts]. / Ein belastungsabhängiges pulsatiles Kreislaufmodell als Grundlage für die Regelung von Kunstherzen.

The development and simulation of closed-loop control of blood pumps requires a pulsatile model of the cardiovascular system that takes into account the natural mechanisms of adaptation during exercise. In this article, a model is described which takes account of the baroreceptor reflex, the change in heart rate, contractility of the heart, and the peripheral resistance during exercise, as well as venous tone, and the nonlinearity of vessel compliance. In addition, a model of the artificial heart is presented, in which the nonlinear limitation of the stroke volume is taken into account, and the concept of a pulse frequency modulated (PFM) control system for the circulation with an artificial heart is described.

[Computer-assisted measurement of biomechanical values exemplified by the renovascular system]. / Rechnergestütztes Messen biomechanischer Grössen am Beispiel des renovaskulären Systems.

The high innovation in electronics and measuring techniques has influenced the development of medical equipment. The progressive miniaturization of integrated circuits yields in an increased possibility of functions with the respective technical equipments. Therewith also in medical technology more universal equipments are available. Unfortunately the development of sensors did not match the development rate in microelectronics. Hence computer-aided measuring (indirect measuring) becomes more and more important, to pick up normally non-measurable biomechanical quantities, which will be shown for the case study of the renovascular system.