PREDICTED TIME TO ASSESS AND/OR CONTROL A GLYCEMIC STATE

• US 20150157793A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Kovelman, Paul H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,750,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6849 in combination with a needle set
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1726 the body parameters being measured at, or proximate to, the infusion site
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/201 Glucose concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

Presented here are techniques for controlling glucose levels of a patient based on predicted time to a target glucose level. One methodology predicts a trajectory of the blood glucose level based on past observations of the blood glucose level, determines a cost expression based on the trajectory, and affects a future command to an infusion pump to affect a cost value according to the cost expression. Another methodology defines a target blood glucose concentration level for the patient, observes a current blood glucose concentration for the patient based on signals received from a blood-glucose sensor, and predicts a duration of time for the patient'"'"'s blood glucose concentration to reach the target blood glucose concentration level based on the observed current blood glucose concentration.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a target blood glucose concentration level for a patient;

observing a current blood glucose concentration for the patient based, at least in part, on signals received from a blood-glucose sensor; and

predicting a duration of time for the patient'"'"'s blood glucose concentration to reach the target blood glucose concentration level based, at least in part, on the observed current blood glucose concentration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target blood glucose concentration level is within upper and lower bounds of a target blood glucose concentration range.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the duration of time comprises:

predicting the duration of time based, at least in part, on one or more parameters representing a sensitivity of the patient to insulin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the duration of time comprises:

predicting the duration of time based, at least in part, on an expected change in a rate of infusion of insulin.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering a therapy applied to the patient based, at least in part, on the predicted duration of time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein altering the therapy comprises one or more of:

changing a rate of insulin infusion;

transmitting a command signal to an insulin infusion pump; and

administering glucose to the patient.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the predicted duration of time to a threshold time period assigned to the target blood glucose concentration level; and

controlling an operation of a glucose control system treating the patient, based on the comparing.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the controlling initiates a first operation of the glucose control system when the predicted duration of time is shorter than the threshold time period; and

the controlling initiates a second operation of the glucose control system when the predicted duration of time is equal to or longer than the threshold time period.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation controlled comprises one or more of:

altering a therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

maintaining a current therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

temporarily deactivating a function of the glucose control system;

generating an alert at the glucose control system;

sending a message from the glucose control system; and

presenting a message at the glucose control system.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an insulin infusion pump to deliver insulin to a patient;

a glucose sensor to obtain observations of a blood glucose concentration of the patient; and

a controller to;

predict a duration of time for the blood glucose concentration to reach a target level based, at least in part, on a current observation of the blood glucose concentration; and

generate one or more insulin pump commands to control an operation of the insulin infusion pump based, at least in part, on the predicted duration of time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further to:

compare the predicted duration of time to at least one threshold time period assigned to the target level; and

determine the operation to control, based on the comparison.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the controller initiates a first operation of the insulin infusion pump when the predicted duration of time is shorter than a first threshold time period; and

the controller initiates a second operation of the insulin infusion pump when the predicted duration of time is equal to or longer than the first threshold time period.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the controller initiates a third operation of the insulin infusion pump when the predicted duration of time is equal to or longer than a second threshold time period; and

the second threshold time period is longer than the first threshold time period.

14. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing device to;

define at least one target blood glucose concentration level for a patient;

associate at least one threshold time period to each of the at least one target blood glucose concentration level, resulting in a number of time-to-target checkpoints;

observe a current blood glucose concentration for the patient based, at least in part, on signals received from a blood-glucose sensor of a glucose control system;

predict a respective duration of time for the patient'"'"'s blood glucose to reach one or more of the at least one target blood glucose concentration level, at least in part, on the observed current blood glucose concentration;

checking each predicted duration of time against at least one of the time-to-target checkpoints; and

controlling an operation of the glucose control system, based on the checking.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable instructions are executable by the special purpose computing device to define a plurality of different target blood glucose concentration levels for the patient.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable instructions are executable by the special purpose computing device to associate a plurality of different threshold time periods to at least one of the target blood glucose concentration levels.

17. The article of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable instructions are executable by the special purpose computing device to associate only one threshold time period to at least one of the target blood glucose concentration levels.

18. The article of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable instructions are executable by the special purpose computing device to:

associate a plurality of different threshold time periods to a first target blood glucose concentration level; and

associate a plurality of different operations of the glucose control system to the plurality of different threshold time periods.

19. The article of claim 14, wherein the operation controlled comprises one or more of:

altering a therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

maintaining a current therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

temporarily deactivating a function of the glucose control system;

generating an alert at the glucose control system;

sending a message from the glucose control system; and

presenting a message at the glucose control system.

20. A method of operating a glucose control system, the method comprising:

predicting a duration of time for a blood glucose concentration of a patient to reach a predefined target level;

comparing the predicted duration of time to a threshold time period assigned to the predefined target level;

controlling a first operation of the glucose control system when the comparing determines that the predicted duration of time is shorter than the threshold time period; and

controlling a second operation of the glucose control system when the comparing determines that the predicted duration of time is equal to or longer than the threshold time period.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the predefined target level represents a lower bound of a hyperglycemic region of the patient.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the predefined target level represents an upper bound of a hypoglycemic region of the patient.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the operation controlled comprises one or more of:

altering a therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

maintaining a current therapy applied to the patient by the glucose control system;

temporarily deactivating a function of the glucose control system;

generating an alert at the glucose control system;

sending a message from the glucose control system; and

presenting a message at the glucose control system.