This year, there is a lot of advancement in technology, especially in diabetes tools and care. There is a lot of boom in the closed-loop systems that partially automated insulin delivery. We have researched quite a lot regarding these advancements and how generally a company manufactures them. The progress has transformed the way we think, search for and manage chronic diseases like diabetes. There have been so many innovations that made people’s lives easier with type 1 and type two diabetes.
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What’s new in diabetes tech
Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring
Now, you don’t have to suffer for your finger to cut down, but yes, they still require a small needle under your skin. The main aim is to create a cgm device that will continuously monitor the blood sugar, but it will not stick under your skin.
Many industries are trying to achieve this goal, including sugar BEAT CGM to measure blood sugar through a sticky patch placed on the skin. Another wearable device that measures blood sugar is Aerbetic, which uses chemical changes, and it is still under testing phase.
Closed-loop Systems
The upcoming manufacturing of the insulin pump is like an automated closed-loop system, which is also called an artificial pancreas because it looks like a real organ. The CGM checks your blood sugar level continuously. There is an algorithm that uses the need for insulin to lower body sugar and glucagon. It automatically delivers the correct dose, which keeps your sugar steady day and night. The Medtronic minimed 670G was established as the first closed-loop system. It automatically produces insulin and monitors blood sugar levels. It would help if you still put the bolus insulin dose based on what you eat.
There is an existing closed-loop system that delivers both insulin and glucagon that helps in development. There have been several types of research that have been done to find a form of glucagon that’s stable enough to work in the pump. Beta Bionics is the world’s fully automated bionic pancreas known as the iLet Bionic pancreas system. It will also provide automatic correction blousing, adjust your meal accordingly, and bring your glucose level down to 100mg/dl. You don’t need to purchase a new gadget every time as it has an inbuilt BLE, which has data-sharing connectivity. The enabled version of this allows remote sharing and data display via the mobile app.
Smartpens
Smartpens offers a memory capability pump that stores memories without tethering your device. Some products connect to Bluetooth via a smartphone app that helps you keep track of your insulin dose and the medicine’s timings. Such products are In Pen Gap. A new device is launched and offers additional benefits of half-unit dosing increment, and the device is ‘Novopen Echo.’
Stick Free Glucose Testing
You need to get a frequent blood test to check your sugar. There have been some unpleasant parts of diabetes testing daily. If you get a regular check-up, you will be able to decide what to eat, when to exercise and when to take insulin dosage. You need to monitor glucose continuously. It helps you to avoid the stick. You don’t have to worry about scaling your blood sugar daily as it measures the blood sugar every few minutes, and it is inserted under your skin, arm, and belly and sends results wirelessly to a pump, smartphone, and other devices. The Freestyle Libre is the CGM system that does not require a finger stick, and you can read your blood sugar number over with the sensor. You can wear Abbott’s freestyle Libre for up to 10 days, but the latest version is designed for 14 days.
SlimX2 Pump
Tandem diabetes care is launched with a controlled IQ technology that combines the insulin pump with the Dexcom G6 CGM, regulating the insulin levels using the user’s little effort. The first-ever system that controls insulin levels does prevent blood sugar from getting too low or too high. A new phase introduced, ‘the-time-in-range’ that measures the percentage of a person’s blood sugar level in the range that doctors want them to be in. The monitor can check the blood sugar every 5 minutes throughout the day. It can also examine and catch the patients’ blood sugar level fluctuations that are not possible using a finger stick.
The slim Dexcom not just reacts with the changes in the blood sugar but also predicts them. There are calculations and evidence of the accumulating data for 30 minutes. It is almost similar to a weather forecast. It can keep the blood sugar level stable before the patient’s blood pressure level changes. The newly launched G7 is fully disposable, and you don’t have to separate the transmitter with the three-month battery life. The transmitter will be fully integrated, and once the senor run is finished, you can dispose of the integrated while unit. It has a longer lifespan, and the next generation of the CGM will come out in late 2020.
Insults Omnipod Pumps
It is a commercial version of the closed-loop system with a patch pump. There had been a launched pump with its precursor mini pod dash version, and there’s also a version of the omnipod tubeless pump. It is a system that gets connected with your smartphone and is controlled by apps on your mobile. It provides more flexibility and freedom than other traditional tubed pumps. These pumps can be applied to any part of the body, almost where you could receive an injection.
The cannula inserted automatically in 1/200th of a second with just a little pressure on your PDM. This omnipod system has changed the lives of many individuals who have diabetes. Medical aid will continue to harness scientific technology advancements, reducing the diabetes management burden with these fully equipped diabetes measuring devices.
The good part about this pump is that It is tubeless and waterproof and that it supplies the insulin in your body continuously. Through a wireless device called a personal diabetes manager, you can control the amount of the insulin flow. It contains insulin for up to 72 hours, and you don’t have to be worried about the wires and the tubes.
Glucometers
This is one of the essential devices for someone having diabetes. This device is popularly used after a finger stick. Glucometers give a warning if there is a rise in your blood sugar level, it will reduce the incidence of diabetes by knowing that your ketones level reaches over 15 mol/L. It has unique features; the result is displayed along with face symbols, usually a smiley indicator for about 5 seconds. A happy arrow indicates that the results are satisfactory, whereas the sad smiley means unsatisfactory results. There are three modes of glucometer that monitor the general method, the AC mode, and the PC mode. The general way can be used to measure blood pressure. The AC mode is used to take measurements early morning with an empty stomach, and if you want to take readings, you can switch it after taking your meals with the PC mode on your device.
Conclusion
Many people have diabetes, and they have to go through the pain to see the results of their blood sugar levels. But with the help of advancements in technology, a wide variety of insulin devices are available today in the market. Each machine has its unique way to deliver a dose of insulin, and these devices aim to make the patient-friendly with minimum discomfort. These devices should be primarily encouraged, the days of fear and anxiety are gone. They see the advancements in technology you can expect to see more patient-friendly devices shortly.
