Say hello to the hunk of plastic that could replace your anesthesiologist. Right now, only four U.S. hospitals are using the Sedasys anesthesiology machine to sedate patients before surgery. Johnson & Johnson has been cautiously rolling out the machine after winning approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2013. The FDA originally rejected the machine in 2010, but later approved after Johnson & Johnson agreed it would only be used for simple screenings--like colonoscopies or endoscopies--and only when an anesthesiology doctor or nurse was on-call.
The machine administers a measured dose of propofol to the patient, and the drug acts quickly. To keep patients safe, the machine is programmed with conservative parameters. Even the slightest problem--for example, if the patient has low blood oxygen or a slow heart rate--slows or stops the drug's infusion. According to the Washington Post, the machine has stricter limits than a human anesthesiologist would have.
http://www.popsci.com/meet-machine-could-replace-anesthesiologists
(Score: 3, Informative) by chewbacon on Thursday May 14 2015, @02:45AM
First, I used to run IV pumps with propofol in the ICU setting as a RN. So this "tech" at its core has been around. Second, the cardiopulmonary effects of propo can be difficult to anticipate. That's why there is the need for monitored anesthesia care. The patient could be tolerating it well, not falling asleep and then just a tad more obstruct their airway. The. What does the machine do? Put in an airway and manage it? Hell no.