In a nutshell
The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of a closed-loop insulin delivery system for day and night use in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The main finding of the study was that this system was safe and had better blood glucose control than the sensor-augmented pump.
Some background
Insulin therapy is currently the only treatment for T1D. Insulin can be self-injected by the patient or administered by an insulin pump. One of the insulin pumps available on the market is called a sensory-augmented pump (SAP). This pump continuously measures blood glucose levels. At the same time, it delivers a low-dose of insulin. The sensor alerts the patient if their blood glucose has gone too high or too low and the patient can alter the insulin dose accordingly.
The newest insulin pump is called the MD-logic closed-loop (CL) insulin delivery system. This pump works by continuously measuring blood glucose levels and automatically changing the insulin dose accordingly. The CL system has shown to be effective for overnight blood glucose control.
The safety and effectiveness of CL for day and night use is not yet known.
Methods & findings
This study included 48 patients with T1D. Patients were randomly assigned to either a CL system over the first 60-hour weekend or the SAP the following 60-hour weekend (treatment weekend) or vice versa (control weekend). Target blood glucose range was 70-180mg/dl.
During the treatment weekend, patients spent significantly more time in the target range compared to control weekends (66.6% versus 59.9%). However, there was no difference in the amount of time spent below the target range between both weekends. The average blood glucose levels both during the day and during the night were significantly lower in the treatment group compared to the control group. No serious side effects or severe episodes of hypoglycemia (blood glucose going too low) were observed during the study.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that the MD-logic closed-loop insulin pump is safe and is associated with better blood glucose control than the SAP.
The fine print
The study size was very small. Larger studies are needed for more concrete evidence.
Published By :
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Date :
Nov 26, 2018
