Increasing Intraoperative Patient Safety: Monitoring Drug Concentrations

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Vol. 47; no. 12; pp. 1438 - 1442
• Main Authors: Drews, Frank A., Syroid, Noah D., Agutter, Jim, Albert, Rob, Westenskow, Dwayne R., Strayer, David L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2003
• ISSN: 1541-9312; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/154193120304701213

Monitors that show intravenous drug and effect concentrations currently do not exist. However, using real-time displays of intravenous anesthetic concentrations and effects could significantly enhance intraoperative clinical decision-making and patient safety. Pharmacological models are available to estimate drug concentrations in the brain, and to predict the drug's associated physiological effects. An interdisciplinary research team developed a graphic display incorporating these models to show the predicted present and future concentrations and effects of anesthetic drugs in real-time. The results of this study show that anesthesiologists using the display controlled hemodynamic patient variables better than a control group. Additionally, when using the drug display the procedure was shorter than in the control group. Taken together, the availability of a drug display has the potential to increase patient safety significantly.