Bispectral Index

Bispectral index (BIS) is one of several technologies which purport to monitor depth of anesthesia. BIS monitors are intended to replace or supplement Guedel's classification system for determining depth of anesthesia. Titrating anesthetic agents to a specific bispectral index during general anesthesia in adults (and children over 1 year old) allows the anesthetist to adjust the amount of anesthetic agent to the needs of the patient, possibly resulting in a more rapid emergence from anesthesia. Use of the BIS monitor is thought to reduce the incidence of intraoperative awareness in surgeries. The algorithm is proprietary information, which means that it is kept secret by the company that developed it.