Population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in anesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
OBJECTIVE
Population modeling is a relatively new pharmacological discipline, the development of which has largely been stimulated by the need for accurate models for the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of anesthetic agents.


RESULTS
Population-based modeling is now considered superior to older, more traditional modeling methods. Nonlinear mixed-effect modeling - a commonly used population-based modeling approach - estimates intraindividual and interindividual variability, limits the influence of outlying samples and individuals through the use of Bayesian statistical analysis, and provides a potential means of optimizing drug delivery regimens, especially when used to define pharmacokinetic-dynamic models for target-controlled infusion systems. In addition to being used for pharmacokinetic modeling, in which the influence of factors such as age, weight and illness can be studied, it is a powerful tool for the study of the influence of multiple factors on drug pharmacodynamics.


CONCLUSIONS
Nonlinear mixed-effect population-based modeling has become the gold standard method of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis during new drug development and during subsequent pharmacological studies. Population-based modeling techniques have been applied to numerous aspects of drug delivery in anesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
Heeremans
Eleonora H
EH
Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Proost
Johannes H
JH
Eleveld
Douglas J
DJ
Absalom
Anthony R
AR
Struys
Michel M R F
MM
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D003422:Critical Care; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D059408:Pain Management; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D010601:Pharmacology, Clinical; D011153:Population
D000700:Analgesics