Automation of an extracorporeal support system with adaptive fuzzy controllers

For patients suffering from cardiogenic shock cardiopulmonary resuscitation may not be sufficient to restore normal heart function. However, their chances of survival may be increased with the use of an extracorporeal support system. With this system the patient's organs are perfused while being transported to the nearest hospital for proper treatment. In the automation of an extracorporeal support system the patient's vital signals are constantly monitored and proper adjustments are performed to improve organ perfusion. In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy controller is proposed that uses the knowledge and expertise of a perfusionist as a starting point and reference for regulation. Furthermore it is able to adapt to the patient's specific reactions by manipulating the rule base of the fuzzy controller. The performance of the adaptive fuzzy controller is tested with a simulation model of the cardiovascular system.