How did I miss the non-adjustable 120? That would be a deal breaker for me.
Also, and I know this has been talked about on Social Media, I’m slightly annoyed that this is being pushed/marketed as an Artificial Pancreas. Especially with JDRF. Every tweet they put out about it has the #ArtificialPancreasUS hashtag. I get the excitement, but jeesh this isn’t a true AP.
Thoughts on this?
I am comfortable calling this an Early AP, or even a Pre Artificial Pancreas.
Just like early CGMs were not as accurate or didn’t stay on the body for as many days, they were still CGM. As to AP, this now-approved 670G is not fully automated and you still have to do some work, and there are other aspects such as data-sharing and pediatrics and more personalization that will follow, but I would say this is an early “hybrid” AP.
Me too. Mike Hoskins noted in his column that trying to get the target BG as adjustable would have required lengthier and larger population studies.
I don’t like the idea that I can’t control this crucial parameter of this tool and will look to DIY systems as an early and viable alternate to this commercial offering. I’m getting set up to put in place the Loop DIY system. I expect the experimental DIY systems to influence the regulators and manufacturers going forward. I think the technological head-start that the DIY systems currently enjoy will continue for many more years.
My fear is if this is may set a precedent for future real AP technology. Though I do understand the rationale for it. First-- do no harm.
I’d be willing to put money on the fact that the Enlite 3 is not at accurate as the Dex G5. I wish everyone and their dog would stop referring to the Medtronic 670G as an AP. Because it isn’t.
(And in case it isn’t already obvious, I’m not a Medtronic fan…
)
No it’s not as accurate as G5. But the big question: Is it as accurate and reliable (in real life settings) as the G4. If so, that could really put Medtronic back into the competitive game.
Do you mean an earlier generation of Dex sensor than the ones they are shipping these days? As far as I know, Dex users with G4 or G5 transmitters and receivers all use the same sensors.
According to the DiabetesMine article posted September 29, 2016 written by Mike Hoskins and Amy Tenderich, here’s what they wrote about the Guardian 3 sensor accuracy:
Enhanced Accuracy: The Guardian 3 is more reliable and accurate, Medtronic says, because it uses a new radio signal (introduced with the 630G) to communicate between the transmitter and sensor. According to the company’s clinical pivotal trial data at two calibrations per day, the MARD error rate is on average 10.55%, which isn’t as good as the latest Dexcom G5 at 9% but is much better than the ~14% the current Enlite has to offer – so that’s a potential game-changer in making Medtronic a stronger competitor in the CGM market! [emphasis added]
While the absolute difference is only 1.55%, the Guardian 3 sensor is 17% less accurate relative to the Dexcom G5. This is still a large gap in accuracy.
I think what he meant was the accuracy comparison to the pre-505 firmware update on the G4 system. I believe that was 11% MARD.
Thanks. That was quite a while ago.
Thanks. Yes, the pre-505 (which was in latter half of 2014, or only two years ago).
Many saw great accuracy on the G4 (before the updated algorithm), and so if this Guardian 3 is pretty much equal to that, it’s a huge improvement for MedT.
Of course, the updated G4 and the current G5 are better, and most likely within the next year we’ll have an even better G6… so, Dexcom is certainly ahead in the CGM game.
Here are some comments from Dana Lewis written on the DIYPS.org web page (scroll down to the September 29, 2016 entry) in answer to the question as to what the first commercial hybrid closed loop system means to the OpenAPS community:
I’ll argue the relative difference is not important at all, the important fact is that the G5 sensor is more accurate than the MedT. The real question though is not really how accurate any given sensor is (there are many errors in the overall system), instead it’s will the system make a positive difference in my life?
In this case it sounds like it will for most people.
You make a persuasive argument. I lived with comparable CGM accuracy for a few years. The dynamic basal feature will help a lot of people.
My doc quoted as saying to my wife (they work togrther) “I’ve been waiting for this day for 25 years”
I’m afraid I don’t share his enthusiasm… but I sometimes have to remind myself (as he makes a point of often doing) that I’m far from his typical patient. Sometimes I also have to remind myself that he’s seen maybe a 10% clear view of each of tens of thousands of patients with diabetes experience. I, on the other hand, have seen a crystal clear 100% view of only one persons experience with diabetes.
I have a couple of questions:
Do you program a basal rate and the pump delivers that amount of insulin unless a high/low is detected?
What happens if the sensor is out of range or falls off? Is the basal still delivered?
Thanks!
But to what end exactly? What do you feel it would add to the pump’s functionality to have it connected to other devices? You already see the glucose trendline on the pump screen itself.
I personally am rather annoyed with this expectation because to me it often seems mindless/faddish. In fact I am not even convinced that making the new Medtronic pump hardware look more like a cell phone – and like other pumps out there – truly has any medical benefit. But I’m willing to hear use cases from people who need the alternative displays in ways that cannot be achieved within the system itself.
In all honesty, those capabilities might be faddish but they would be useful. I’m looking at my iPhone continuously throughout the day. It would be nice to just drop the Notification Center down and see what info my cgm is reporting instead of taking my pump off my waistband. Sounds lazy, I think it’s a useful tool. Having the ability to have the cgm info mirrored to the Apple Watch face would be hugely beneficial. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier and this is a perfect example. The individuals that using the Dexcom system have these options, from The reviews I’ve read, they love having the ability to see this info on their devices. Just to give some background, the minimed connect saved my life last month. I was at home and my blood sugar was crashing. My fiancé was at work, got the emergency text message from the app. She tried calling me, I was already in a seizure because this happens when my sugar goes too low. She was able to call 911 and our apartment manager to let the paramedics in to treat me. Losing this option is a concern for us. You may think it’s not useful or gimmicky but I know I’d want that option. This is why I sent my 630g back and stayed with my out of warranty 530g. I apologize for the long post, there is a reason why some of us want this technology.
For people who are monitoring others — like parents or caregivers – being able to see data remotely is HUGE. It basically makes a system a complete black box if the people using it are too young to understand it and the caregiver can’t see information when the child is away. Even when the child is with you, having to grab them to look at data is a huge inconvenience.
I have been on the 670g for a year now. This a life changing pump. Words do not describe how well it works.
