Abstract
Computer-controlled infusion pumps incorporating an internal model of drug pharmacokinetics can rapidly achieve and maintain constant drug concentrations in the plasma. Although these pumps offer more accurate titration of intravenous drugs than is possible with simple boluses or constant rate infusions, the choice of the plasma as the target site is arbitrary. The plasma is not the site of drug effect for most drugs. This manuscript describes two algorithms for calculation of the infusion rates necessary for a computer-controlled infusion pump to rapidly achieve, and then maintain, the desired target concentration at the site of drug effect rather than in the plasma.
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This study was supported in part by the Veterans Administration Merit Review Program, a Starter Grant from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and Biomedical Research Support Grant RR05353 awarded by the Biomedical Research Support Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, and the Anesthesia/Pharmacology Research Foundation.
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Shafer, S.L., Gregg, K.M. Algorithms to rapidly achieve and maintain stable drug concentrations at the site of drug effect with a computer-controlled infusion pump. Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics 20, 147–169 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01070999
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01070999