A new decision support system for mechanical ventilation.

A decision support system has been developed for the treatment and management of patients on mechanical ventilation. The following criteria have been used in the design of the system; a) to regulate arterial blood gases within the normal range, b) to optimize ventilatory treatment in order to minimize the breathing work rate, and c) to reduce the weaning time from the ventilator. The system incorporates many safety features and can be used as an advisory tool as well as an informative source of patient data. Another application of the system is in automatic control of weaning.