Clinical anesthesia and control engineering: Terminology, concepts and issues

The anesthesia community has recently witnessed numerous advances in the monitoring of the anesthetic state. This development has spurred a renewed interest in the automation of clinical anesthesia. While this subject was the apanage of researchers with strong clinical background, recently the control community became also involved. The collaborative studies which resulted have proven the feasibility of feedback-controlled anesthesia systems, while stressing out the many challenges this field imposes. This paper addresses its specificities in a familiar context for control engineers. Anesthesia concepts and terminology, monitoring issues, as well as drug properties and mechanisms of action, are covered. Prior attempts at closed loop anesthesia are reviewed.