We have heard the term many times, but there is so much more to understand. What is an artificial pancreas?
An artificial pancreas (AP) is a system designed to mimic what a healthy pancreas does: monitor glucose levels and deliver insulin as needed. Its goal is to automate blood glucose control as much as possible, so the wearer does not have to perform constant fingerpricks and be so involved in decision making and insulin dosing based on those readings. Although different names have been out there for awhile - artificial pancreas, closed loop system, and bionic system, the technology is now officially being referred to as AID (Automated Insulin Delivery) systems. At this point, the FDA has approved two AID systems - the Medtronic MiniMed 670G and Control-IQ from Tandem Diabetes Care. At least 11 other companies are working hard on inventing their own versions as well, which is extremely encouraging!
The components of current AP systems include:
an insulin pump, which provides a continuous flow of insulin into the body via an “infusion site” or small cannula inserted in the skin
a CGM that takes ongoing blood sugar readings via a little sensor worn on the skin that has its own separate cannula from the pump. There are currently two CGMs on the market in the U.S. from Dexcom and Medtronic.
a controller (usually a smartphone) that includes the display screen where users can see glucose data
algorithm software, the “brain” of the system, that crunches the numbers to predict where glucose levels are headed and then tells the pump what to do
glucagon, a hormone that rapidly increases blood glucose, used here as an antidote to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Find out much more about AP technology from Diabetes Mine here.
