ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS IS HERE .... NO MORE PRICKS!!

A dream come true moment in the history of Diabetes – “September 28, 2016” FDA approved the Medtronic hybrid closed loop system. This is the first approved system to automate the dosing of insulin to reduce high blood sugar levels. The Medtronic MiniMed 670G artificial pancreas system is a result of innovations, ground breaking technologies and out of the box thinking. This system is composed of an intelligent pump, 4^th generation sensors and software integrating these to create what I would like to call as a Technological Marvel. In India the use of Insulin pump for management for Diabetes has increased over the years. Mainly used in Type 1 Diabetes patients, insulin pumps are also used now in patients with uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes, brittle diabetes or in patients with phobia for needles. This artificial pancreas would be boon for these patients and would help them lead a near normal life without a needle prick!

Let’s have a sneak peek at Artificial Pancreas

This Automated pancreas will deliver basal dose of insulin at the rate selected by the user. The user can also program the amount of bolus dose. Currently this machine is recommended for kids above 14years of age. This system can also be used for Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS). The data collected via CGMS will be used by the machine itself to fine-tune the insulin delivery system.

The MiniMed 670G System will decrease or stop insulin delivery when it detects the user’s glucose is low. The machine can also increase the insulin delivery when the system detects the user’s glucose levels are high. The glucose sensor contains a wire that is inserted under the skin on the abdomen and measures glucose values in the tissue fluid. The glucose values are wirelessly sent to the insulin pump, and displayed on the pump screen. The insulin pump delivers a prescribed dosage of insulin through an infusion set. The insulin pump can automatically adjust the delivery of insulin using an algorithm that incorporates information from the CGMS.

The system has two modes; Manual Mode and Auto Mode. While in Manual Mode, the system can be programmed by the user to deliver basal insulin at a preprogrammed constant rate. The system will automatically suspend delivery of insulin if the sensor glucose value falls below or is predicted to fall below a predetermined threshold. The system will also automatically resume delivery of insulin once sensor glucose values rise above or are predicted to rise above a predetermined threshold. While in Auto Mode, the system can automatically adjust basal insulin by continuously increasing, decreasing, or suspending delivery of insulin based on CGM values (different from Manual Mode where basal insulin is delivered at a constant rate). Although Auto Mode can automatically adjust basal insulin delivery without input from the user, the user must still manually deliver insulin therapy during meals

The full details regarding the machine and approval status can be viewed in the FDA website http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/default.htm

The initial investment and running costs are not very clear at the moment but, few extra bucks on a hassle free system won’t hurt our pockets. Secondly this machine will alleviate the need for daily pricks. India being the Diabetes capital, we hope this machine will be introduced in India soon. Good work Medtronics!