Discretionary insulin delivery systems and methods

Abstract

A method of facilitating delivery of a discretionary dose of insulin to a user includes: enabling the user or a caregiver to specify, via a computer-based user interface, parameters associated with a discretionary delivery of insulin that may be delivered to the user; subsequently receiving data that represents the user's glucose level during a period of time associated with the discretionary delivery; automatically determining, with a computer-based processor, based on the received data, if, when and how much discretionary insulin should be delivered to the user during the period of time associated with the discretionary delivery; delivering insulin to the user during the period of time associated with the discretionary delivery according to the automatic determination; and delivering insulin to the user with the insulin delivery device according to a non-discretionary insulin delivery schedule unless a discretionary insulin delivery mode has been triggered.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 812,452 filed Apr. 16, 2013 and entitled “Discretionary Insulin Delivery”, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 908,981 filed Nov. 26, 2013 and entitled “Discretionary Insulin Delivery”.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE[0002]All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.FIELD[0003]This disclosure relates to the discretionary delivery of insulin to a user (e.g., a person with diabetes) and, more particularly, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for delivering a discretionary dose of insulin to a user.BACKGROUND[0004]Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by an inability of a person's pancreas to produce suff...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a system that allows people with diabetes to have a discretionary amount of insulin delivered to them during a specific period of time. The system automatically determines the amount of insulin needed based on the person's glucose level during that period and delivers it to them in a safe and effective manner. This can improve the accuracy of insulin delivery and make managing diabetes more manageable for users.

Problems solved by technology

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by an inability of a person's pancreas to produce sufficient amounts of insulin, such that the person's metabolism is unable to provide for the proper absorption of sugar and starch.

This failure leads to hyperglycemia, i.e. the presence of an excessive amount of analyte within the blood plasma.

Persistent hyperglycemia has been associated with a variety of serious symptoms and life threatening long term complications such as dehydration, ketoacidosis, diabetic coma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal failure, retinal damage and nerve damages with the risk of amputation of extremities.

Although traditional syringes have at least partly been replaced by drug pens, the frequent injections are nevertheless very inconvenient for the patient, particularly those who are incapable of reliably self-administering injections.

The aforementioned methods of recording lifestyle information are inherently difficult, time consuming, and often inaccurate.

Paper logbooks are not necessarily always carried by an individual and may not be accurately completed when required.

Such paper logbooks are small and it is therefore difficult to enter detailed information requiring detailed descriptors of lifestyle events.

Furthermore, an individual may often forget key facts about their lifestyle when questioned by a physician who has to manually review and interpret information from a hand-written notebook.

Entry of data into a secondary data storage system, such as a database or other electronic system, requires a laborious transcription of information, including lifestyle data, into this secondary data storage.

Difficulty of data recordation encourages retrospective entry of pertinent information that results in inaccurate and incomplete records.

However, developing such workable solutions to the problem that are simple, safe, reliable and able to gain regulatory approval has proved to be elusive.

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