Posted by Medivizor on Aug 27, 2017 in Diabetes mellitus |

This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of the artificial pancreas (APs) in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). It was determined that APs improve control of glucose levels, without increasing the insulin dose.

A traditional insulin pump is a small device that continuously delivers insulin, without the need for multiple daily injections. Sensor augmented pumps (SAPs) are traditional insulin pumps that also have a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. CGMs measure glucose levels throughout the day by placing a sensor in the fat just under the skin. This gives the patient up-to-date information about their glucose levels.

APs use information from a CGM system to automatically control the release of insulin from a pump. This is similar to how the pancreas changes the amount of insulin it releases when blood glucose levels change. Single-hormone APs release just insulin (lowers glucose levels). Dual-hormone APs release insulin and glucagon (raises glucose levels), depending on the needs of the patient.

Previous studies have found that APs improve glucose control in inpatient settings (where the patient stays in a hospital during the study). Whether this occurs in outpatient settings (patient is not in hospital) is less certain.