Predicting transdermal fentanyl delivery using physics-based simulations for tailored therapy based on the age
Flora Bahrami, René M. Rossi, Thijs Defraeye
Abstract
effect of conventional fentanyl transdermal in a 20-80-year-old virtual patient. The results show that, with increasing age, the maximum transdermal fentanyl flux and maximum concentration of fentanyl in the blood decreased by 11.4% and 7.0%, respectively. However, the results also show that as the patient's age increases, the pain relief increases by 45.2%. Furthermore, the digital twin was used to propose a tailored therapy based on the patient's age. This predesigned therapy customized the duration of applying the commercialized fentanyl patches. According to this therapy, a 20-year-old patient needs to change the patch 2.1 times more frequently than conventional therapy, which leads to 30% more pain relief and 315% more time without pain. In addition, the digital twin was updated by the patient's pain intensity feedback. Such therapy increased the patient's breathing rate while providing effective pain relief, so a safer treatment. We quantified the added value of a patient's physics-based digital twin and sketched the future roadmap for implementing such twin-assisted treatment into the clinics.