Target-controlled infusion - Past, present, and future

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pharmacology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Target-controlled infusion (TCI) is an advanced drug delivery system utilizing microprocessors.
• It enables precise drug administration based on target plasma or effect site concentrations.
• TCI is widely adopted in operating theaters and intensive care units (ICUs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles, applications, and future scope of TCI technology.
• To discuss commonly used drugs and practical aspects of TCI administration.
• To highlight the advantages of TCI over manual infusions in anesthesiology and critical care.

Main Methods:

• Review of underlying principles of TCI.
• Analysis of commonly used drugs (e.g., propofol, dexmedetomidine, opioids) in TCI.
• Discussion of practical implementation challenges and TCI models.

Main Results:

• TCI provides safer intravenous anesthesia and analgosedation compared to manual infusions.
• Ongoing research explores TCI for antibiotics, vasopressors, and other clinical settings.
• Understanding pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is crucial for TCI operation.

Conclusions:

• TCI technology offers significant advantages in anesthesiology and critical care.
• Familiarity with TCI principles, drugs, and models is essential for healthcare professionals.
• The scope of TCI is expanding to diverse clinical applications and drug classes.