AUTOMATED ANESTHESIA RECORD-KEEPING DEVICE

THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST RECORDS OBSERVATIONS AND EVENTS BY HAND DURING THE COURSE OF AN OPERATION. TWO TYPES OF INFORMATION ARE BEING RECORDED. TYPE I INVOLVES COMMENTS FROM DIRECT OBSERVATION OF THE PATIENT AND COMMENTS ABOUT DIRECT PATIENT INTERVENTION SUCH AS DRUG ENTRIES. TYPE II INVOLVES INDIRECT OBSERVATION OF THE PATIENT VIA VARIOUS MONITORS AND TRANSDUCERS. OUR PROPOSAL FOCUSES DIRECTLY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC RECORDING OF TYPE II INFORMATION, THUS RELIEVING THE TAXING BURDEN OF HAND-RECORDING THESE DATA. THIS DEVICE WILL BE UNOBTRUSIVE TO THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST ^ HE OR SHE WILL SIMPLY ENTER THE HANDWRITTEN NOTES (TYPE I INFORMATION) ON THE RECORD WHILE THE TYPE II INFORMATION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY RECORDED ON THE SAME RECORD. THE TYPE II INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED EITHER AUTOMATICALLY OR ON THE OPERATOR'S COMMAND. THE FEATURES ARE: 1. IT WILL COMBINE HANDWRITTEN AND AUTOMATIC RECORDS IN AN EFFICIENT AND ACCEPTABLE MANNER THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF KEEPING RECORDS. 2. IT WILL INTERFACE WITH EXISTING AND FUTURE MONITORS. AS NEW MONITORS BECOME AVAILABLE THEY CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE SYSTEM SIMPLY BY CHANGING A MEMORY MODULE.