Abstract: A method and system for the infusion of a drug into a patient involving: (i) calculating a multiplicity of infusion rate profiles for a selected drug by monitoring drug efflux from the body of a group of patients for a corresponding multiplicity of target concentrations of the selected drug; (ii) determining the body size of the patient, such as their Lean Body Mass; (iii) selecting a target concentration of the drug to, in turn, cause selection from the multiplicity of infusion rate profiles of an infusion rate profile substantially corresponding to the infusion rate profile for the selected target concentration; (iv) scaling the selected infusion rate profile by the determined body size or Lean Body Mass of the patient; and (v) administering the drug to the patient in accordance with the scaled profile by means of an infusion device which is controlled to deliver said drug at said scaled infusion rate profile.

Abstract: A drug infusion pump having a drive system including a drive motor (49), a worm gear (53) on the output shaft of said motor, a worm wheel (55) meshing with said worm gear (53) and constructed to drive an output reduction gear (60) and clutch means (62) associated with said output gear (60) for disengaging drive to a drive head (61) engaged by a drive belt (83) which is permanently connected to a syringe actuator (7) to cause controlled infusion of the contents of a syringe under the control of a central control system including a microprocessor (20) and programmable memory means (21 and 23) which determine the manner in which the infusion is performed. A syringe clamping arm (5) is associated with a potentiometer (24) which provides to the controller diameter information regarding the syringe. The programmable memory means (23) includes data relating to one or more standard syringe sizes to enable automatic operation on insertion of a standard syringe.

Abstract: A method of determining a generalised infusion rate profile for the delivery of drugs into the circulation comprising the steps of:(a) infusing a drug at arbitrary but known rates into a group of patients for each of whom the Lean Body Mass has been determined;(b) determining the plasma arterial concentration of the drug in each patient at a number of specific time intervals throughout each infusion period;(c) for each patient, estimating the rates of loss of drug from the circulation at a number of specific time instants by dividing the known infusion rates per Lean Body Mass of these instants by the plasma arterial concentrations of the drug at each of these instants;(d) calculating the average of the estimated rates of loss of drug from the circulation per Lean Body Mass unit at each specific time interval for the group of patients;(e) interpolating the successive average points between the specific time intervals to produce an infusion profile;(f) infusing said drug in accordance with said infusion profil