A device for providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient

Abstract

There is provided a device for providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient, and a method of providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient. The device comprises an input arrangement for act

Claims

1. A device for providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient, the device comprising:an input arrangement for actuation by the patient,a delivery arrangement for delivering a pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the patient, anda controller that is configured to receive an input signal from the input arrangement, process the input signal using a control algorithm to generate an output signal, and transmit the output signal to the delivery arrangement for controlling the delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the patient,wherein the control algorithm comprises:- a high response function that generates a high response delivery parameter,- a low response function that generates a low response delivery parameter, and- an output function that uses the high response delivery parameter and the low response delivery parameter to generate the output signal.

2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the high response delivery parameter and / or the low response delivery parameter is dependent on one or more patient input parameter associated with the patient input signal.

3. A device according to Claim 2, wherein the one or more patient input parameter is dependent on any of, or any combination of: a frequency of the patient input signal, an amplitude of the patient input signal, or a period of the patient input signal.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the low response delivery parameter and / or the high response delivery parameter is a rate ofdelivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance, or a volume of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to be delivered.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device is configured to operate in a low response delivery mode when the output function uses the low response delivery parameter to generate the output signal, and the device is configured to operate in a high response delivery mode when the output function uses the high response delivery parameter to generate the output signal.

6. A device according to any of Claims 1 -5, wherein the output function compares the low response delivery parameter and the high response delivery parameter, and generating the output signal comprises selecting the higher of the low response delivery parameter and the high response delivery parameter.

7. A device according to Claim 6, wherein the device is configured to operate in a low response delivery mode when the low response delivery parameter is higher than the high response delivery parameter, and configured to operate in a high response delivery mode when the high response delivery parameter is higher than the low response delivery parameter.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the low response delivery parameter has a maximum value, and in response to the low response delivery parameter reaching the maximum value, the device enters a rate decrease phase.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device has a rate increase phase during which actuation of the input arrangement from the patient indicative of a demand for pain relief and / or sedation provides an increase in a non-zero rate of delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to a higher non-zero rate of delivery, and the device has a rate decrease phase during which actuation of the input arrangement from thepatient indicative of an equal or greater demand for pain relief and / or sedation provides a decrease in a non-zero rate of delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to a lower non-zero rate of delivery.

10. A device according to Claim 9, wherein in the rate increase phase, actuation of the input arrangement from the patient generates an input signal that has a first value of the at least a parameter and provides an increase in the non-zero rate of delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the higher non-zero rate of delivery, and in the rate decrease phase, actuation of the input arrangement from the patient generates an input signal that has a second value of the at least a parameter and provides a decrease in the non-zero rate of delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the lower non-zero rate of delivery, wherein the value of the at least a parameter is indicative of demand for pain relief and / or sedation, and the second value of the at least a parameter is egual to, or greater than, the first value of the at least a parameter.

11. A device according to any of Claims 8-10, wherein in the rate decrease phase, in the absence of actuation of the input arrangement by the patient, the device provides a decrease in a non-zero rate of delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to a lower non-zero rate of delivery, wherein the rate of the decrease in the non-zero rate of delivery in the absence of actuation of the input arrangement is greater than the rate of the decrease in the non-zero rate of delivery when the patient is actuating the input arrangement.

12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device has a phase during which the control algorithm generates the output signal, such that: (a) a non-zero rate of delivery decreases to a lower non-zero rate of delivery in the absence of actuation of the input arrangement by the patient, (b) the patient is requested to actuate the input arrangement, and (c) if the patient successfully actuates the input arrangement in response to therequest, the rate of delivery is adjusted to a first non-zero rate of delivery; and (d) if the patient does not successfully actuate the input arrangement in response to the request, the rate of delivery is adjusted to a second nonzero rate of delivery, wherein the first non-zero rate of delivery is higher than the second non-zero rate of delivery.

13. A device according to Claim 12, further comprising at least one patient indicator, wherein the request to the patient to actuate the input arrangement in step (b) is provided via the at least one patient indicator.

14. A device according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein in step (b), the patient is requested to actuate the input arrangement to indicate that the current level of pain relief and / or sedation is sufficient and / or to indicate that the patient remains conscious.

15. A device according to any of Claims 12-14, wherein the adjustment in the non-zero rate of delivery in step (c) is for a predetermined amount of time, after which step (a) is repeated.

16. A device according to any of Claims 12-15, wherein when the patient successfully actuates the input arrangement in response to the request, adjusting the non-zero rate of delivery to a first non-zero rate of delivery comprises increasing the non-zero rate of delivery to a higher non-zero rate of delivery.

17. A device according to Claim 16, wherein the increase in the rate of delivery in response to the patient actuating the input arrangement is less than the decrease in the rate of delivery since the previous actuation of the input arrangement by the patient in response to step (b).

18. A device according to any preceding claim, the device further comprising a patient interface, and at least one sensor for detecting the breath of a patient within the patient interface, and a delivery interface, wherein the delivery arrangement is arranged to deliver the pain-relieving and / orsedative substance to the delivery interface, and the controller is further configured to receive a sensor signal from the at least one sensor, process the sensor signal using a control algorithm to generate an output signal, and transmit the output signal to the delivery arrangement for controlling the delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the patient, wherein in the absence of breath detection, the control algorithm generates an output signal that prevents or ceases delivery of the pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the delivery interface.

19. A method of providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient, the method comprising the steps of:receiving an input signal from an input arrangement actuated by a patient, processing the input signal using a control algorithm to generate an output signal, andtransmitting the output signal to a delivery arrangement for delivering a pain-relieving and / or sedative substance to the patient,wherein the control algorithm comprises:- a high response function that uses the input signal to generate a high response delivery parameter,- a low response function that uses the input signal to generate a low response delivery parameter, and- an output function that uses the high response delivery parameter and the low response delivery parameter to generate the output signal.

20. A device for providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient, the device comprising:at least one supply of a pain-relieving and / or sedative substance, a patient interface having a status indicator arrangement for indicating at least one state of the device, anda controller that is configured to determine at least one state of the device, and transmit an output signal to the status indicator arrangement indicative of the at least one state of the device.21 .A device according to Claim 20, wherein the at least one state of the device is indicative of the priming status of the device, the delivery status of the device, the status of the at least one supply of a pain-relieving and / or sedative substance, or the usage of the device.

22. A device according to Claim 20 or Claim 21, wherein the status indicator arrangement comprises one or more visual indicator, the one or more visual indicator being configured to provide a different visual indication dependent on the at least one state of the device being indicated.

23. A device according to any of Claims 20-22, wherein the status indicator arrangement comprises a plurality of indicators, the plurality of indicators being configured to indicate a level or extent of completion of an operation associated with the device.

24. A device according to Claim 23, wherein the amount of the plurality of indicators that are activated is indicative of the level or extent of completion of an operation associated with the device.

25. A device according to Claim 23 or Claim 24, wherein the plurality of indicators is arranged in a formation, and the portion of the formation that is activated is indicative of a level or extent of completion of an operation associated with the device.

26. A device according to Claim 25, wherein the size of the portion of the formation that is activated is indicative of the level or extent of completion of an operation associated with the device.

27. A method of providing pain relief and / or sedation to a patient, the method comprising the steps of: determining at least one state of the device,generating an output signal indicative of the at least one state of the device, andtransmitting the output signal to a status indicator arrangement at a patient interface for indicating the at least one state of the device.

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