Numerical analysis of a comprehensive in silico subcutaneous insulin absorption compartmental model

Development of safe and effective glucose management algorithms for remediation of inpatient hyperglycemia reduces nursing workload and improves patient outcomes by providing decision support at the bedside. Computer simulation of drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics enables evaluation and testing of glycemic control algorithms prior to in vivo investigations without risk to patients. For subcutaneous insulin dosing, in silico testing requires an accurate model of diffusion and availability of insulin from the time of injection. Wong et al. have recently proposed a comprehensive compartmental model of pharmacokinetics for six types of insulin to serve as the basis for available brands. The compartmental model is efficient for processing a large number of virtual patients. Herein we analyze numerical integration properties for the Wong et al. model, as a guide for achieving peak efficiency of simulations.