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Description:
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ICONS is a case-based system that gives antibiotic therapy advice for patients in an intensive care unit with additional complications.
The aim of the system is a rapid presentation of a suitable antibiotics therapy considering resistance, the sphere of activity, contraindications and the condition to cover the whole expected agent spectrum. Because of using this potential agent spectrum, it is possible to present therapy advice without knowing the actual agent, who still has to be found out in the laboratory. First, the user can distinguish between different groups of patients. For post-operative patients and those from the community the possible agent spectrum is determined by the affected organ. For nosocomial patients and those whose resistance is underdetermined, a spectrum of background knowledge is used. A first list of antibiotics is generated through a sensitiveness relation that gives for each group of agents all the antibiotics who take a sensitive effect. This list contains those antibiotics that are able to control at least one part of the potential agent spectrum. A second list of antibiotics results by reducing the first through the patient's contradictions and the desired sphere of activity in order to cover the whole spectrum individually. If no single therapy was found, the system generates a combination of antibiotics. Before deciding to use one of the presented therapies, the user gets the ability to see potential undesired effects of the antibiotics. Moreover he may obtain information about the costs a day. After his choice for one therapy, ICONS presents the dosage a day.
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