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Sensor-augmented pump therapy in type 1 diabetes.

Weinzimer SA, Tamborlane WV

Department of Pediatrics, Center for Clinical Investigation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8064, USA. stuart.weinzimer@yale.edu

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent developments in technology have ushered in a new era of managing type 1 diabetes. Continuous glucose monitoring is rapidly becoming an accepted adjunct to traditional self-monitoring of plasma glucose, and the marriage of continuous glucose sensors to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion is the first step towards the development of a true artificial pancreas. The purpose of this review is to familiarize the reader with the new glucose sensors and discuss the literature evaluating their accuracy and effectiveness. RECENT FINDINGS: Current models of continuous glucose sensors are still less accurate than traditional methods of blood glucose monitoring but provide information regarding trends that cannot be obtained with blood testing. Short-term studies of continuous glucose sensors have demonstrated reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin levels and time spent in hypo- and hyperglycemic ranges. Patient acceptance and satisfaction with sensors has been shown to depend on the quality of the data, comfort of wear, and ease of use. SUMMARY: Sensor-augmented pump therapy represents a landmark improvement in diabetes treatment and will likely become the standard of care. Future work should focus on improvements in sensor accuracy and development of user-friendly algorithms to assist patients with self-management.

Published 4 March 2008 in Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes, 15(2): 118-22.
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