Application of Photoplethysmographic Signals for Anesthesia Automation in Operation Theatres

Abstract

Anesthesia is a process of inducing coma to the patient who is undergoing a major or minor surgery. This is usually administered by Anesthesiologist at the time of the surgery and also continuously monitors the patient during the surgery and also after the surgery. Thus, without anesthesia and anesthesiologist, a patient can not undergo a surgery. This works deals with the process of atomization of administering anesthesia to the patient by using photoplethysmography (PPG) signals and temperature as input. PPG signal contains information like heart rate and oxygen saturation, using these it is possible to conclude if a patient is gaining consciousness from anesthesia. When PPG signal attains the threshold value, anesthesia circuit administers the required quantity of the drug. By using this concept, the process of administering anesthesia can be automatized for reducing the human errors and the pain endured by the patients.