Surgery relies on clinical studies and experience to make surgical diagnoses and decisions, but these empirical strategies fail on multiple occasions when it is desired to predict or determine the dynamic changes experienced by patients during surgery.
Laparoscopic abdominal surgery is one of the most important therapeutic tools today and involves systemic physiological changes, particularly cardiopulmonary changes. As alterations in the patient need to be detected in advance and interventions must be directed to be effective, a prior understanding and evaluation of the physiological processes that occur during surgery is necessary, and in consequence, the generation of a complete model that integrates the large number of signals surgeons face is vital.
The expected result would be a clear physiological image of the hemodynamic status during laparoscopic surgery and its projection in time. The challenge is to generate multiscale mathematical models for human circulation that consider the transport of the molecules that support cellular metabolism, as well as drugs. The synchronization of all these processes involves great complexity. The models must be able to perform simulations including those elements that play a crucial role in determining venous hemodynamics: postural changes, increased intra-abdominal pressure, regulation of venous tone and muscle compression.
The final challenge is to provide a monitoring and prediction system, allowing groundbreaking advances that will replace intuition in the follow-up of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.