Role of artificial intelligence in perioperative monitoring in anaesthesia

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making giant strides in the medical domain, and the field of anaesthesia is not untouched. Enhancement in technology, especially AI, in many fields, including medicine, has proven to be far superior, safer and less erratic than human decision-making. The intersection of anaesthesia and AI holds the potential for augmenting constructive advances in anaesthesia care. AI can improve anaesthesiologists’ efficiency, reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. Anaesthesiologists are well placed to harness the advantages of AI in various areas like perioperative monitoring, anaesthesia care, drug delivery, post-anaesthesia care unit, pain management and intensive care unit. Perioperative monitoring of the depth of anaesthesia, clinical decision support systems and closed-loop anaesthesia delivery aid in efficient and safer anaesthesia delivery. The effect of various AI interventions in clinical practice will need further research and validation, as well as the ethical implications of privacy and data handling. This paper aims to provide an overview of AI in perioperative monitoring in anaesthesia.