right now all pumps, at best, get input from the user to know how much insulin to administer. We take a glucose test, input it to the pump with the expected carbs we will eat, and it tells us how much insulin to take, then we okay that and it delivers. The artificial pancreas (AP) will make the gigantic leap to closed-loop control, where the pump takes readings from a glucose sensor on the body (like some do) and feed the information into a program that tells the pump the amount of insulin to deliver by itself, and how long to deliver it. It is constantly updating itself from the sensor, figuring out the rate of change of the glucose levels, and calculating the expected glucose level about 15 or so minutes ahead, and then figures out how much insulin to take to counter that expected glucose level. It is much like control systems in everything from building air conditioning systems to spacecraft.
So what brands to expect out in 2018, the expected year of market entry for APs? I found this site to be informative.
actual feedback control would be a revolutionary change for pumps as a diabetes therapy. all potential AP/feedback concepts depend entirely on a CGM as the control variable, and therein lies the problem: today’s CGM are not accurate or fast enough for me to be interested in this technology, in my opinion.
a real time actual CGM “Glucose” being the operative word, not “interstitial fluid”, would be the revolution in therapy we all need. Even if I could get real CGM as a stand-alone, it would be a huge improvement over what I have today.
I also don’t think I like the automatic glucagon infusion… but maybe that’s just me.
I’m with Joe and ditto all said. My input is necessary and certainly trustworthy. The AP is not something I will connect until the CGM portion is improved to tell me my bg before I do anything. Trends and graphs are great but I can’t drive my kids without knowing what my bg is right now. I take gigantic leaps every day, and my simple just pumps insulin pump helps me land safely on my feets
My son was a subject in a trial study of the Artificial Pancreas system by Beta Bionics at CHOP this summer. I found the CGM more real-time and accurate than the one he typically uses, and while the program calculates a bolus dose for meals, it still requires you to confirm before the bolus is given. The only time the dosing is done without your confirmation is the tiny corrective doses of insulin or glucagon (which is a game-changer for Type 1 parents who know those night time lows all too well…)
I think they did have age parameters for this particular study…my son is 8. He’s part of a small population of patients who are “Type 1” as a result of a total pancrectectomy at birth due to diffuse Congenital Hyperinsulinism. This study was 2 trips to Philadelphia from Chicago, each a week long…one week managed by the bionic pancreas system, one week with his regular system. He’s a trooper for sure! I’ve tried to instill in him how critical this research is.
@Juliepie22, Please share my thanks with your son for his bravery and for his contribution that I envision will really help many others. He is a trooper and the world will benefit.
What he is doing, stepping into the “unknown” bring back memories of when I volunteered for LASER treatment on my eyes in 1966 - at that time LASERS were primarily military tools.
