Guardian: A Prototype Intelligent Agent For Intensive-Care Monitoring

Abstract

A surgical intensive care unit (ICU) is a challenging monitoring environment. The multitude of monitored variables, the high frequency of alarms, and the severity of likely complications and emergencies can overload the cognitive skills of even experienced clinicians. ICU monitoring is also complicated by changes in clinical context. Over the course of a few days, a patient may evolve from a high-vigilance immediate post-operative state to a convalescent state that involves entirely different sets of monitoring principles, problems, and treatments.