Medtronic is set to launch their revolutionary new insulin pump and glucose sensor system this summer.
It is called the Medtronic 670 G hybrid system.
It consists of a third generation continuous glucose sensor which is significantly more reliable than the prior sensor and a dramatically more sophisticated insulin pump. The sensor is approved for 7 days of use. The new sensor system employees a diagnostic chip in the sensor to continually monitor sensor health.
The revolutionary insulin pump does not use any preset basal insulin settings. The sophisticated computer algorithm in the pump will adjust the basal insulin delivery every 5 minutes on an as-needed basis depending upon the glucose sensor level and trend. It has the ability to turn off insulin delivery entirely for long periods of time if indicated. The computer algorithm is set to keep the sensor glucose at approximately 120.
The bolus dosing is similar to prior generation insulin pumps. However, there is greater leeway for getting the bolus insulin dose exactly correct. That is because after a bolus injection, the basal rate will self adjust to keep the sensor glucose level at 120.
The pivotal research studies with this new pump system involvement about 115 patients. They were all patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The majority of patients were adult about 25% of patients were adolescent. Study results indicated that there was a significant improvement in blood glucose control. There was a reduction in time in hyperglycemia and also time in hypoglycemia. In addition, in this group of patients who already had well-controlled diabetes, there was an unexpected drop in hemoglobin A-1 C level of about 0.5%. There were no episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis and no episodes of severe hypoglycemia.
The new pump system has dramatically improved the quality of life of patients with Type 1 Diabetes. It does dramatically reduce the burden of Type 1 Diabetes by automatically helping the patients to achieve optimal glycemic control without risking hypoglycemia. It is truly a incredible change in the therapy a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus, secondary only to the discovery of insulin. You can find patient testimonials concerning these benefits on YouTube.
I would strongly encourage any patient with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus to inquire about this new system.
