The system constantly monitors the bispectral index, a measure of brain activity that lets physicians precisely maintain a target level of anesthesia. In the study, 196 patients undergoing surgery were randomly assigned to receive propofol/remifentanil anesthesia using the closed-loop system or manual drug adjustment.
The quality and stability of anesthesia was found to be higher in patients assigned to the closed-loop system, based on a global score. “Overshooting” and “undershooting” — anesthesia either too deep or not deep enough — were also less frequent in the closed-loop group.
Read the Anesthesia & Analgesia report on the closed-loop system.
Read more on anesthesia:
–10 Recent Anesthesia Findings Making Headlines
–FDA Approves Mindray Medical Anesthesia System
–Children’s Hospital Boston and Proteus to Introduce New Algae-Derived Anesthetic
