Medtronic insulin pump and monitor system control type I diabetes better than injection

A recent study shows the Medtronic developed insulin pump and monitoring device provide better control in Type I Diabetes patients than daily injections. The study was a yearlong comparison of blood glucose levels in patients ranging in 7 to 70 years of age. Elevated glucose levels in patients with Type I Diabetes may lead to complications causing kidney and eye disease. A low level of glucose, however, can lead to life threatening hypoglycemia.

People without Type I Diabetes or Type II Diabetes typically have a blood glucose level below 6 percent. Diabetics generally see blood glucose levels over eight percent. Daily injections of insulin are primarily the only treatment for Type I Diabetes where blood glucose may be maintained just over 8 percent. The goal of treatment is to maintain a glucose level around 7 percent. The Medtronic pump is a step towards this goal with patients ranging 7.5 to 8.1 percent.

The glucose monitor is a device with a small needle inserted into the skin for constant monitoring of glucose levels. The pump is attached to a catheter inserted into the abdomen. Patients can use the monitor to detect glucose levels and adjust the pump accordingly. Medtronic has yet to link the system together but continues to work on development.

Results of the study were presented at the American Diabetes annual meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. It is a treatment one step closer to managing glucose levels in people with Type I Diabetes.