Drug infusion control for mean arterial pressure regulation of critical care patients

Postoperative hypertension is a common but a critical parameter observed in patients recovering in critical care units. This parameter is well indicated by the measurement of the hemodynamic variable, the mean arterial pressure (MAP). The MAP is regulated by the infusion of vasoactive drugs like sodium nitroprusside (SNP). This would be time-consuming if carried out manually, hence the need to automate this setup. This paper proposes a closed loop system with a model predictive controller, which will react automatically to the changes in the patient´s state and trigger drug infusion to maintain the MAP at the required set value. It was found that the proposed controller was able to track the set point changes and keep the MAP within the required values.