Drug delivery in association with medical or surgical procedures

Abstract

Disclosed are various methods and devices 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. The devices safely and effectively provide and maintain drug infusions that do not push the patient into unconsciousness and/or general anesthesia. Devices according to embodiments of the invention include the use of stored parameters and/or values that correlate to drug delivery during a procedure, and a patient health monitor to measure and send signals regarding a patient health condition to a processor or other computational device.

1 . A method of providing effective sedation and/or pain relief without general anesthesia by a non-anesthetist to a non-intubated patient during a medical and/or surgical procedure, said method comprising:
 infusing into the general circulatory system of said non-intubated patient with a sedative and/or pain relieving drug dosage that is insufficient to result in general anesthesia;   sensing at least one physiological condition of the patient during and/or after said procedure;   generating a signal in the event said physiological condition of said patient becomes unsafe;   
       modifying said infusion of said drug so as to return said patient to a safe physiological condition, and
 enabling said non-anesthetist to manually alter the rate of infusion during and after said procedure at any dosage level that is insufficient to result in general anesthesia and as long as the patient's physiological condition does not become unsafe. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said generated signal comprises an audible alarm. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said modification of said infusion is performed manually. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said modification of said infusion is performed automatically in response to said signal. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said modification is controlled electronically. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said drug is selected from a group comprising fentanil, remifentanil, propofol, and morphine. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1  in which said drug is a mixture of drugs selected from a group comprising fentanil, remifentanil, propofol and morphine. 
     
     
         8 . A method of providing effective sedation and/or pain relief by a non-anesthetist without general anesthesia to a non-intubated patient during a medical and/or surgical procedure, said method comprising:
 infusing said non-intubated patient with a sedative and/or pain relieving drug at a dosage rate that is insufficient to result in general anesthesia;   sensing at least one physiological condition of the patient during said procedure with one or more monitors selected from the following: pulse oximeter, heart rate, blood pressure, carbon dioxide, EEG, and ventalatory;   generating a signal in the event of a change in said physiological condition;   controlling said infusion of said drug in response to said change in said physiological condition.   
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 8  in which the controlling of said infusion is performed manually. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 8  in which said drug comprises propofol. 
     
     
         11 . A method of providing sedation and/or pain relief by a non-anesthetist including the procedural physician without general anesthesia to a patient during a medical and/or surgical procedure without general anesthesia, said method comprising:
 infusing said patient with a sedative and/or pain relieving drug that is insufficient to result in general anesthesia;   electronically sensing at least one physiological condition of the patient during said procedure;   electronically monitoring said sensing of said physiological condition to determine if said sensing is safe and generating a signal in the event said physiological condition becomes unsafe, said signal directing how to modulate said rate to avoid said unsafe condition while maintaining effective sedation and/or pain relief; and   means for enabling said non-anesthetist to modify said infusion of said drug in accord with said signal so as to return said patient to a safe physiological condition while maintaining said sedation and/or pain relief.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11  in which said drug is propofol. 
     
     
         13 . A method as recited in  claim 11  in which said drug is remifentanil.