System realizations by mammillary models with an application to propofol pharmacokinetics

This work addresses the problem of linear system realizations by mammillary and mammillary-like models, offering necessary and sufficient conditions under which a given transfer function can be represented in this form. Compartmental models, particularly mammillary ones, reflect the physiological dynamics of distribution and elimination. This is especially relevant in clinical pharmacology, where model parameters correspond to meaningful biological processes to support interpretability, personalization, and safe drug delivery, such as in total intravenous anesthesia. To conclude, an application to a propofol infusion model illustrates how mammillary realizations can support physiologically interpretable system representations.