Patient-maintained propofol sedation: the anaesthetists' point of view

Many operations within the UK do not require general anaesthesia, and are instead carried out under sedation. A doctor normally provides this, and as the patient is not in control, they may be either under or over-sedated due to a misjudgement of patient anxiety. One solution would be to allow the patients to directly control their own sedation level. This paper presents an invention for innovation (i4i) project developing such a Patient Maintained Propofol Sedation Device (PMPSD). Due to the health risks associated with under and over-sedation, the anaesthetists' interface takes on an added importance to ensure they can oversee the process and intervene when needed. Through the project, a unique opportunity has arisen where anaesthetists have been involved throughout the interface design process, contributing to the development and testing of a prototype. We present this prototype, highlight its key features and how it differs from existing sedation pump interface systems. As the project continues, the interface will be used as part of a clinical trial at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust involving 80 orthopaedic patients throughout the rest of 2018 and into 2019