Artificial intelligence research in anesthesia and intensive care.

This article describes several research directions exploring the application of artificial intelligence techniques in anesthesia and intensive care. Artificial intelligence can be loosely defined as the discipline of designing computer systems that exhibit "intelligent" behavior. This article first introduces artificial intelligence and computer science research and discusses why medicine has proved to be a challenging domain for applying artificial intelligence techniques. A discussion of the central research themes that arise in medical artificial intelligence, many of which are common to different projects and to different medical settings, is followed by a description of specific research projects that apply artificial intelligence techniques in anesthesiology, ventilatory management, and cardiovascular management. Finally, further comments are made on the current state of the field.