'Artificial Pancreas' Approved

Medtronic's MiniMed 670G System approved for type 1 diabetes

(RxWiki News) The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first "artificial pancreas" device to monitor blood glucose (sugar) and adjust long-acting or basal insulin doses.

This hybrid closed-loop device is Medtronic's MiniMed 670G System. This device works by monitoring the blood glucose and automatically adjusting how much insulin the user will receive based on the glucose reading.

The system includes a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), an insulin pump and a glucose meter.

It is able to lower or stop the insulin being delivered when the blood glucose is low. On the other hand, the system can deliver more insulin when the system detects that glucose levels are high. The insulin is adjusted based on a mathematical equation, or algorithm, that uses the information from the CGM.

The user can also select the manual mode, in which the user can program the system to deliver insulin at a set amount.

This system is only available with a prescription and can be used for those with type 1 diabetes who are 14 years of age and older.

This device is not approved for use in some patients, such as in those who require less than a total insulin dose of eight units per day. In addition, those who have difficulty seeing or hearing should not use the device because it provides signals and alarms that need to be recognized.

Those who use this device will need to remove it before entering a room that has MRI, X-ray, diathermy or CT scan equipment because it can damage the pump or cause it to work improperly.

Furthermore, this device should not be exposed to a magnet, including pump cases with magnetic clasps.

Speak to your doctor about how best to manage your type 1 diabetes.