New trials of the bionic pancreas

Bionic pancreas successfully controls the blood sugar level of patients

Copper news based on EurekAlert! – Bionic pancreas system successfully controls blood sugar without risk of hypoglycemia

At Boston University, scientists conducted regular clinical trials of the bionic pancreas. The design of a smartphone, a glucose monitoring system and two pumps was used in patients for 11 days (previously, the studies lasted 24 hours and 5 days) and, according to the results of the work, proved to be quite effective for controlling blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes. No special restrictions were imposed on the test participants.

During previous studies, a nurse was constantly with the participants, and minor patients had to spend the night in special rooms. This time the restrictions were lifted, and all patients lived their normal lives – doing household chores and going to work. It was only necessary that two conditions were met – that an adult lived next to the patient, who could be contacted if necessary, and also the participants had to live no more than half an hour away from one of the universities participating in the research.

During the study, patients wore continuous glucose monitoring devices that sent data to a smartphone – iPhone 4S - every 5 minutes. If the sugar level dropped, the smartphone gave the appropriate command to the pumps with insulin and glucagon. Too much sugar drop, as well as the absence of a signal from the pumps and the monitoring device for more than 15 minutes were considered force majeure, a message about this was sent to the researchers, who, in turn, contacted the participants themselves or their contact persons. In total, 39 adults participated in clinical trials, each of whom was diagnosed at least a year ago, and each of whom used an insulin pump for at least six months in a row at the time of the research. All participants used a bionic pancreas for 11 days, and then for another 11 days – the usual sugar control system. In the process, they filled out questionnaires daily, where they noted episodes of hypoglycemia and nausea and recorded which carbohydrates they ate to cope with hypoglycemia.

According to the results of the tests, it turned out that the average blood glucose level of the participants was lower when they used a bionic pancreas – 141 mg /dl versus 162 mg/dl for a conventional insulin pump. Automation noted a drop in sugar to the level of hypoglycemia three times less often, and the patients themselves said that their well-being was better when their condition was controlled by a bionic pancreas.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  22.12.2016