Artificial intelligence hold promise in the ICU

Abstract

In a 2018 article entitled “Human Cognitive Limitations”, the University of Utah's Alan Morris estimated the number of variables an intensivist has to take into account for a patient on mechanical ventilation. He came up with 236. A typical ward round for Brijesh Patel, an intensivist at the Royal Brompton hospital in London, involves checking the settings on 20–30 ventilators. It is an enormously time-consuming process. “The question of how to manage the ventilator is at the centre of critical care”, points out Patel.