Continuous Glucose Monitor
Diabetes can be a life threatening condition. It is caused by a high level of blood glucose, which in turn is caused by a lack of insulin in the blood. If the level of glucose stays above than normal for a long period of time, it can cause severe complications such as hypoglycemia, heart diseases or even death. That’s why diabetic patients need to monitor their glucose levels regularly. However, too often, the glucose monitors available in the market fail to register “real time” readings of the blood glucose level. This means patients do not know when their glucose level is falling and when it is rising – a very dangerous situation for patients suffering from acute diabetes.
Recently, a lot of manufacturers have modified existing glucose monitors to give “real time” readings. The result is continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) that respond as blood glucose falls or rises. Through CGMs, patients can know immediately when they need to eat food to prevent blood glucose level from falling further or when they need to take insulin to prevent glucose level from rising. In fact, they measure the glucose level every 5 minutes.
The CGM contains a sensor which is put in under the belly skin very quickly so that it does not hurt. The sensor then records the blood glucose level once per 10 seconds and sends the measurement to the monitor through a wire. The monitor, which is connected to the patient’s waistline, then displays the average blood glucose level for every 5 minutes. The whole process is completely automatic. The monitor also uses data from four blood sugar finger sticks for calibration. As a result, the CGM is a supplement to – rather than a replacement for – traditional methods for monitoring blood glucose levels.
Although the results from continuous glucose monitors are undoubtedly valuable, they should not be used regularly and without the assistance of doctors. They are used only in special occasions – for a period of about three days. The main purpose of using CGMs is to find the trends in and the variations of blood glucose levels. The data from CGMs can then help doctors choose the most appropriate treatment method for the patients. The CGMs have become very popular recently – mainly due to their affordability. In fact, all manufacturers sell them for less than $20 and the price is decreasing every year. This is almost equivalent to that of standard blood glucose measurement devices.
Currently, the United States of America’s Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) has allowed only two CGMs to be marketed. They are the MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (manufactured by Medtronic Diabetes) and the FreeStyle Navigator Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (manufactured by Abbott Diabetes Care). As can be easily guessed from the name, the former contains an insulin pump in addition to the CGM. As a result, it can prevent severe rise or fall of blood glucose levels. It can be used by both children (who are at least 7 years old) and adults.
On the other hand, the FreeStyle Navigator does not contain an insulin pump. However, its competitive advantage is that it can function wirelessly – with the help of a transmitter – and can store data for about 60 days so that they can be analyzed by doctors later. In addition, the FreeStyle Navigator provides warnings – at least 10 minutes early – when the blood glucose level is drastically falling or rising. Unlike MiniMed Paradigm, it cannot be used by children; the users must be at least 18 years old.
The CGM is a critical tool in the treatment of diabetic patients. Many other manufacturers are also developing their own CGMs. As a result, in the near future, the patients can hope to see more developed CGMs in the market.
Good article, but with a few mistakes. First, Medtronic's CGM devices have worked wirelessly with a transmitter for several years now. Second, I just got Medtronic's current pump and CGM system (Revel) and it will also alert you as your BG levels are rising or falling sharply. So, in my opinion, the FreeStyle Navigator doesn't reallly have a competitive advantage. I've been using a Medtronic pump for years and have enjoyed every liberating moment of it. Of course it's not perfect, but I finally felt like I had my life back once I started using the pump and CGM to treat my diabetes. I've tried other brands, and I keep coming back to Medtronic. They just know how to make good quality, user-friendly diabetes products.
Diabeatit, I would love to hear more about your experience. The CGM, the connection to the skin; how long does it stay? Are there 'refills' for the attachment? So on...