Computer-controlled anesthesia delivery system.

A prototype Computer-Controlled Anesthesia Delivery System (CCADS) has been developed. The CCADS uses proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) software algorithms to control the delivery of oxygen, anesthetic agent,and nitrous-oxide (N2O) via the computer feedback control of precision mass-flow controller devices. The CCADS was evaluated in a group of seven dogs during 4 hours of closed-circuit enflurane N2O anesthesia. Throughout the 4-hour monitoring period, the CCADS maintained the animals' inspired oxygen concentration (FIO2), end-tidal enflurane concentration, and breathing circuit volume to within +/- 0.20, +/- 0.10 volume %, and +/- 30 ml/min (+/- 1 SD), respectively, of the desired values. The interactive software allowed selective graphic display of the 10-breath averaged data parameters, or modification of FIO2, end-tidal enflurane concentration, and breathing circuit volume, whenever animal re-evaluation during an anesthesia procedure was necessary.