Modeling Organ Failure Under Hypoxic Stress

Abstract

Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is one of the leading causes of death in the intensive care unit. Due to the variety of pathophysiological mechanisms that can initiate organ failure, clinicians are challenged in selecting treatments and the literature for modeling the pathogenesis and recovery from MODS is sparse. The present work develops a model of MODS by coupling a game theoretic approach for quantifying organ function with a dynamic model of physiological processes that impact organ health. Organ and system response to high-altitude pulmonary edema are used as a quantitative test case of the model's ability to capture the development of and recovery from organ dysfunction.