Tailored basal insulin delivery system and method

Abstract

Disclosed is a system to deliver insulin to a user's body. The system includes a dispensing unit to deliver the insulin to the body, and a control mechanism to control delivery of basal insulin according to a predetermined basal infusion pattern, the basal infusion pattern selected from a plurality of predetermined basal infusion patterns. In some embodiments, selection of the basal infusion pattern may be based on one or more personal characteristics of the user.

1 . A system for delivery insulin to a user's body, the system comprising:
 a dispensing unit to deliver the insulin to the body; and   a control mechanism to control delivery of basal insulin according to a first basal infusion pattern, the control mechanism being adapted to update the first basal infusion pattern to a second basal infusion pattern.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control mechanism is configured to update the first basal infusion pattern based on one or more personal characteristics of the user, the personal characteristics comprising at least one of: age, body-mass index (BMI), bolus insulin requirements, sex, duration of diabetes, metabolic control, physical activity, sleep pattern, sleep duration, hemoglobin AlC values, age at manifestation of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), pyramidal insulin per kilogram, prandial insulin per day, total insulin per kilogram and total insulin per day. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control mechanism is configured to update the first basal infusion pattern based at least in part on the measured blood glucose levels of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first basal infusion pattern is initially selected from a collection of predefined patterns. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first basal infusion pattern is updated to the second basal infusion pattern automatically by the control mechanism. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second basal infusion pattern is electronically sent to a practitioner for validation. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the second basal infusion pattern comprises the first basal infusion pattern shifted in time. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control mechanism is configured to evaluate the suitability of the first basal infusion pattern. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the evaluation is based on a determination of the glycemic status of the patient. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the evaluation is based on data representative of deviations of a user's glucose level from a target zone or on periodic data of hemoglobin AlC levels or on continuous glucose measurements. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dispensing unit comprises:
 a reservoir for storing the insulin;   a cannula having an end for placement within the user's body; and   a pump to deliver the insulin from the reservoir to the cannula.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control mechanism comprises a processor configured to control delivery of the basal insulin by the pump according to the basal infusion pattern. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a glucometer to measure blood glucose levels of the user. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the basal pattern is the distribution of amounts of basal insulin per hour over a 24-hour period. 
     
     
         15 . A method of delivering basal insulin to a patient's body comprising the steps of:
 determining a first basal infusion pattern from a plurality of predetermined basal infusion patterns;   updating the first basal pattern to a second basal pattern; and   delivering insulin to the body of the user based on the second basal infusion pattern.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of updating is based on one or more personal characteristics of the user, including one or more of: age, body-mass index (BMI), bolus insulin requirements, sex, duration of diabetes, metabolic control, physical activity, sleep pattern, sleep duration, hemoglobin AlC values, age at manifestation of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), pyramidal insulin per kilogram, prandial insulin per day, total insulin per kilogram and total insulin per day 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of updating is based at least in part on the measured blood glucose levels of the user. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second basal infusion pattern is the first basal infusion pattern shifted in time. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising evaluating the suitability of the first basal infusion pattern. 
     
     
         19 . A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed on a suitable computer device, performs the method of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions recorded thereon for performing the method of  claim 15 .