Simple cardiorespiratory model for interpreting post-operative patient data

This paper investigates the possibility of characterizing the differences between normal- and high-risk post-operative cardiac patients on the basis of 3 parameters related to a simple model of cardiorespiratory performances. These parameters, determined from physiological variables measured in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), seem useful for clinical interpretation of patient status. In fact, their values show that normal-risk patients exhibit a better cardiac response to metabolic needs and less utilization of blood oxygen reserve. In addition, they allow effective prediction of patient class membership.