Apparatuses and methods for titrating drug delivery

• US 20030051737A1
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Scott Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Hickle, Randall S., Derouen, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,229,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4821 Determining level or depth of anaesthesia A61B5/1106 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/048 Anaesthetics see also A61M19/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing the workload of titrating drug to effect while leaving clinician users in control of a related procedure is described. A drug delivery device is controlled to achieve a target drug concentration at a selected site in the patient or a predetermined infusion rate waveform. The time profile of the target drug concentration or a predetermined infusion rate waveform is controlled by a drug state model that uses clinical heuristics to implement safe, pre-defined changes in the target drug concentration or infusion rate and user-commanded changes in target drug concentration or infusion rate. The invention allows time to assess the response of the patient to changes in drug level by making small incremental and conservative changes in drug level over time.

Claims

1. A system for providing drug delivery to a patient, wherein said system comprises:

a user interface for accepting input from a user;

a drug delivery controller that delivers an amount of drug to a patient;

a patient health monitor adapted so as to be coupled to a patient and generate a signal reflecting at least one health condition of the patient; and

a processor that integrates the user interface, drug delivery controller, and patient health monitor according to a drug state model such that the amount of drug delivered to the patient by the delivery controller is modulated based on an input from the user and/or based on a signal generated by the patient health monitor.

2. A method for providing drug delivery to a patient, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

accepting input from a user via a user interface;

delivering an amount of drug to a patient via a drug delivery controller;

generating a signal reflecting at least one health condition of the patient via a patient health monitor adapted so as to be coupled to a patient; and

integrating the user interface, drug delivery controller, and patient health monitor according to a drug state model such that the amount of drug delivered to the patient by the delivery controller is modulated based on an input from the user and/or based on a signal generated by the patient health monitor.