The emerging technology that I will be discussing is the hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system for type 2 diabetes. The US FDA approved something like an artificial pancreas in 2016 for type 1 diabetes, but there are studies still being conducted on an artificial pancreas for patients with types 2 diabetes. Studies conducted like hospital stays, rate of infections, and whether its cost effective. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the artificial pancreas controlled blood glucose levels in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes compared to receiving insulin manually (Nedelman) .Usage of this machine can provide 25% more time with blood glucose levels in a normal range compared to insulin injections. Patients with type 2 diabetes can have improving health outcomes, and the workloads of healthcare providers can be reduced with managing blood glucose levels of the many patients that are admitted to the hospital because of their condition. This system is also called an artificial pancreas, and it’s a machine that imitates the regulation of glucose levels in the blood as a healthy pancreas would do.
If there is an increase of glucose in the blood, the machine will release insulin to reduce the elevated blood glucose levels. On the other hand, the machine will also lessen the occurrence of low blood glucose levels without much effort from the patient with the machine. The artificial pancreas consists of an continuous glucose monitor sensors which monitors the blood glucose levels, the Control algorithm is the software that receives the information from the continuous glucose monitor performing mathematical calculations to send dosing information to the pump that can be monitored on a computer or smart phone, and the pump then distributes the insulin to the tissue under the skin.Studies have also been conducted on expected moms with diabetes. The outcome was that the machine was safe and improved glucose levels, ending in successful births. The diabetes journal states that there is still work that needs to be done to get the full benefits of an artificial pancreas (U.
S. Department of Health and Human Services). There’s insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors that assist diabetics with their diagnosis, but the artificial pancreas will help living with diabetes much easier.
