Intelligent and adaptive control in anaesthesia

The major roles which are the concern of a clinical anaesthetist are those of drug-induced unconsciousness, muscle relaxation, and analgesia (ie pain relief). The first two roles are concentrated in the operating theatre, whereas the third role is mainly concentrated in post-operative conditions. Each of these roles has been researched in recent years for the possibility of automated drug-infusion via feedback strategies, but only the former two will be considered in this paper.