Drug delivery in association with medical or surgical procedures

Abstract

Disclosed is drug delivery for facilitating medical and/or procedures that are performed without “general anesthesia,” which is also described in the specification as the state of patient “unconsciousness” resulting from a drug administered by an anesthetist or anesthesiologist. Mixtures of sedative and analgesic drugs are adapted for safe and effective administration by devices to provide and maintain drug infusions that do not push the patient into unconsciousness and/or general anesthesia. Drug delivery devices are also disclosed that include the use of stored parameters and/or values that correlate to drug mixture delivery during a procedure, and a patient health monitor to measure and send signals regarding a patient health condition to a processor.

1 . A method for medicating a patient in connection with the patient undergoing one or more medical and/or surgical procedures, said method comprising:
 connecting to a patient a drug delivery device capable of controllable drug delivery to the patient during said procedure, said drug delivery device being coupled to an electronic controller which manages the delivery of drugs to the patient;   providing a drug mixture from a drug source to said drug delivery device, said drug mixture comprising an analgesic drug to provide pain relief for the patient and a sedative drug to provide sedation for the patient;   selecting an appropriate subprogram for the drug mixture for use by said electronic controller during said procedure;   attaching at least one patient health monitor device to a patient, said health monitor device generating a signal reflecting at least one monitored physiological condition of the patient during said procedure;   delivering the drug mixture to the patient during said procedure with said drug delivery device, said drug being delivered at a desired supply rate;   sending said signal from said health monitor device to said controller during said procedure, said signal communicating a present value reflecting said monitored physiological condition of the patient;   accessing parameters for said monitored physiological condition associated with said selected subprogram, said parameters indicating values for said measurements of said monitored physiological condition that correlate to levels of desired sedation during said procedure;   comparing said measurements reflected in said received signal with said parameters; and   modifying said desired supply rate of the drug mixture as necessary in response to said comparing in order to maintain said patient safely within said levels of desired sedation during said procedure.   
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said analgesic drug is selected from the group consisting of fentanyl, remifentanil, morphine and meperidine. 
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein said sedative drug is propofol. 
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said analgesic drug is remifentanil. 
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said sedative drug is propofol. 
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said analgesic drug is remifentanil. 
   
   
       7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said patient health monitor is selected from the group consisting of an electrocardiograph, a pulse oximeter, a brain activity monitor, a capnometer and a patient consciousness monitor. 
   
   
       8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said values define a preset normal range of said measurements for a patient undergoing said procedure, and wherein said changing of said drug delivery rate comprises decreasing a current drug delivery rate or raising an alarm if said monitored physiological condition of the patient moves outside of said preset normal range. 
   
   
       9 . The method as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said preset normal range is identified by at least one threshold for said measurements. 
   
   
       10 . The method as recited in  9 , wherein said values define at least two thresholds concerning said physiological condition, and wherein said thresholds designate different levels of concern for said patient when measurements are outside of said preset normal range. 
   
   
       11 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said values define measurements of said monitored physiological condition that evidence the onset of potentially undesirable patient conditions during said procedure. 
   
   
       12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said values further define measurements of said monitored physiological condition that evidence the onset of potentially unsafe patient conditions during said procedure. 
   
   
       13 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the delivering of said drug mixture is performed by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of continuous infusion, target controlled infusion, bolus infusion, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       14 . The method for medicating a patient in connection with the patient undergoing one or more medical and/or surgical procedures, said method comprising:
 connecting to a patient a drug delivery device capable of controllable drug delivery to the patient during said procedure, said drug delivery device being coupled to an electronic controller which manages the delivery of drugs to the patient;   selecting a drug mixture to provide to said patient, said drug mixture comprising an analgesic drug to provide pain relief for the patient and a sedative drug to provide sedation for the patient;   selecting and inputting an appropriate subprogram for the drug mixture for use by said electronic controller during said procedure;   attaching at least one patient health monitor device to a patient, said health monitor device generating a signal reflecting at least one monitored physiological condition of the patient during said procedure;   delivering the drug mixture to the patient during said procedure with said drug delivery device;   sending said signal from said health monitor device to said controller during said procedure, said signal communicating a present value reflecting said monitored physiological condition of the patient;   accessing parameters for said monitored physiological condition associated with said selected subprogram, said parameters indicating condition values for said measurements of said monitored physiological condition that correlate to levels of desired sedation during said procedure;   comparing said measurements reflected in said received signal with said parameters; and   said electronic controller modifying delivery of the drug mixture as necessary in response to said comparing in order to maintain said patient safely within said levels of desired sedation during said procedure.   
   
   
       15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein said sedative drug is propofol. 
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein said analgesic drug is remifentanil. 
   
   
       17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein said sedative drug is propofol. 
   
   
       18 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said condition values define a preset normal range of said measurements for a patient undergoing said procedure, and wherein said modifying comprises decreasing a current drug delivery rate or raising an alarm if said monitored physiological condition of the patient moves outside of said preset normal range. 
   
   
       19 . The method as recited in  claim 18 , wherein said preset normal range is identified by at least one threshold for said measurements. 
   
   
       20 . The method as recited in  19 , wherein said values define at least two thresholds concerning said physiological condition, and wherein said thresholds designate different levels of concern for said patient when measurements are outside of said preset normal range.