Patent ID: 7229430

Claim:
A system for providing drug delivery to a patient, wherein said system comprises: a user interface for accepting input from a user; a drug delivery device that delivers an amount of drug to a patient; two or more patient health monitors adapted so as to be coupled to a patient and generate a signal reflecting at least one health condition of the patient; and a processor that integrates the user interface, drug delivery device, and patient health monitors according to a hierarchy of software algorithms defining different drug states that seamlessly allow for drug level adjustments by the user such that the amount of drug delivered to the patient by the delivery device is modulated based on an input from the user and based on a signal generated by the patient health monitors to achieve a target effect site concentration (ESC), wherein said hierarchy of software algorithms include a drug state model and a flow control algorithm and an interface algorithm, said interface algorithm being one of a rate controlled infusion algorithm and a target controlled infusion algorithm that run in real time and said interface algorithm being capable of producing different time profiles of a target drug concentration at different effect sites, and wherein automated actions initiated by said processor will not increase overall drug levels automatically without an explicit request for a higher drug level by said user.