Applied strategy for options of invasive and non-invasive sensors and instruments

A diverse range of sensors and instruments is available for use in the critical care of acutely ill patients and it is not always straightforward to decide which technologies should be used. Clinicians have their own priorities for the physiological variables that they consider need to be monitored in order to provide optimum medical care. Alongside this, consideration must be given to the choice of available technologies. This choice may be influenced by performance criteria, cost, and ease of use. It is also necessary to consider the physical status of the patients, the measurement instruments and any potential risks for the patients so as to provide the best measurement scheme. This paper explores the use of decision support tools that may be used in critical care situations. The care of ill newborn babies requiring mechanical ventilation is considered as a case study. The choice of invasive and non-invasive techniques for blood gas and pH assessment is evaluated and decision trees and hierarchical clustering are considered as possible decision support methodologies.