Insulin Pump Bolus Delivery Pattern Adaptation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current insulin pumps lack the ability to tailor bolus delivery patterns effectively based on nutritional characteristics of meals, leading to arbitrary and inefficient insulin delivery, which does not fully exploit the mechanical capabilities of the pumps and does not consider physiological post-prandial increases in blood glucose levels.

Innovation Solution

A device and method that analyze the average blood glucose response of non-diabetic individuals to different meals and adjust the bolus delivery pattern of insulin pumps to match this response, using graphs and mathematical relationships to determine the optimal dose and distribution rate, incorporating parameters like glycemic index and fat content, and allowing for continuous monitoring and adjustment of insulin delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional insulin pumps deliver bolus doses using fixed delivery patterns, then the device complexity is low and ease of operation is high, but the adaptability to different nutritional characteristics (glycemic index, fat content) is poor and manufacturing precision of glycemic control is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to nutritional characteristicsVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The insulin delivery system transitions from fixed, static delivery patterns to dynamic, adjustable patterns that adapt in real-time based on nutritional characteristics. The controller modifies delivery rates and timing according to glycemic index and fat content inputs, enabling the device to dynamically respond to varying meal compositions rather than using predetermined fixed patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes key delivery parameters (delivery rate, timing, duration) based on nutritional parameter inputs. By adjusting these parameters according to glycemic index and fat content values, the system achieves adaptability to different meal types without requiring fundamentally different device architectures, thus managing complexity while improving versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If insulin pumps use arbitrary bolus delivery patterns, then the ease of operation is maintained, but the manufacturing precision of glycemic control deteriorates and loss of information regarding optimal delivery timing occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of glycemic controlVSAvoidloss of optimal delivery timing information
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where glucose monitor data and nutritional characteristic inputs are continuously processed by the controller. This feedback loop enables the system to learn from actual glycemic responses and adjust future delivery patterns, thereby improving precision of glycemic control while retaining information about optimal timing through systematic data collection and analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of nutritional characteristics (glycemic index, fat content) before insulin delivery to determine optimal delivery patterns in advance. By calculating and storing optimal timing information based on pre-meal nutritional assessments, the system preserves critical timing information and uses it to guide subsequent delivery decisions, improving precision without losing temporal information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the bolus delivery pattern is tailored to match non-diabetic blood glucose response, then the reliability of glycemic control improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional monitoring and calculation requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of glycemic controlVSAvoidcomplexity of monitoring and adjustment system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes nutritional characteristic inputs, analyzes glucose monitor data, calculates optimal delivery patterns, and executes insulin delivery. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional controller, the system achieves reliable glycemic control through comprehensive monitoring and adjustment while minimizing the need for separate dedicated components, thus managing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2350894B1Methods and devices for tailoring a bolus delivery pattern
Publication Date: 2019.07.03 F HOFFMANN LA ROCHE & CO AG
  • EP2350894B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2350894B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2350894B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Methods and devices for delivering therapeutic fluid to the body are described. The method may include determining a bolus delivery pattern based on a specific dietary intake of a patient and delivering the therapeutic fluid into the patient's body based, at least in part, on the determined bolus delivery pattern. The devices used in conjunction with the disclosed methods may include a controller to determine a bolus delivery pattern based on a specific dietary intake of the patient and an infusion pump to deliver the therapeutic fluid into the patient's body based, at least in part, on the determined bolus delivery pattern.