| abstract |
The invention provides early feedback to a clinician or caregiver so that they can characterize the adequacy of the cardiorespiratory system over short time intervals. In this way, any deficiency can be easily detected and treated before the compensatory capacity of the patient is compromised. In one embodiment, a biological signal, having a waveform, is processed to derive an infusion parameter and a baseline value from the infusion parameter. The invention monitors, in real time, the perfusion parameter and determines a variation of the perfusion parameter calculated from the baseline value. A duration associated with the determined variation is measured, which reflects the amount of time for which the derived perfusion parameter variation is above or below the threshold (s) of variation. On the basis of the evaluation of the perfusion parameter with respect to the thresholds of variation and the measured duration, a cardiovascular stress index is determined for the patient. |