Sensor-augmented pump therapy in type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Weinzimer
Stuart A
SA
Department of Pediatrics, Center for Clinical Investigation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8064, USA. stuart.weinzimer@yale.edu
Tamborlane
William V
WV
D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods
D001786:Blood Glucose