Model reference adaptive control of drug infusion rate

The role of model reference adaptive control is under consideration for a computer based feedback system which will regulate the infusion rate of a drug (nitroprusside) in order to maintain desired blood pressure. Because the transfer function parameters are different for each patient and furthermore are variable with time, an adaptive algorithm is desirable for maintaining both steady-state and transient specifications. To this effect, computer simulation has shown that direct (or implicit) model reference procedures might be successfully applied to the control of blood pressure despite the uncertainty in the delays, time constant and gains. Additional efforts concerned with the actual demonstration of these concepts on dogs have further supported the role of adaptive control for blood pressure regulation.