Modelling for control of depth of hypnosis - a patient friendly approach

This paper presents a mathematical framework for over-simplification of pharmacodynamic models to capture drug effects in humans. A large representative class of drugs are classically modelled by Hill equations, and a specific case is discussed in this paper. The proposed model is validated in simulation against a classical model of drug effect for a specific case of hypnotic drug used in general anaesthesia: Propofol. The results support the validity of the proposed model and allow further improvements in the current use of such models. An important property of the model is that it allows prediction of the patient's response to drug infusion dynamic profiles and allows a smoother control sequence of drug profiles, i.e. a more suitable approach for model based predictive control strategies. A manifold of 1000 Monte Carlo simulations from generated data in closed loop control indicate the suitability of the model for continuous infusion drug management during hypnosis.