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MiniMed 640 vs AccuChek Combo

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 83869
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Deleted member 83869

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Hello,

I am currently on the AccuChek Combo and my DSN and Consultant have just put an order in for the MiniMed, I am quite excited and done a little bit of research, but how different are the 2?
 
Aside from the inclusion of the CGM in the 640G, and that I believe it's waterproof, based on the specs, the 640G is roughly the same size and has a similar cartridge size as the Combo.

The biggest difference is that while the pump can be fully controlled from the Combo handset, with it's dedicated pump menu, the blood meter with the Medtronic only allows you to remote bolus. Looking at the options on the Medtronic, I'm not sure whether it has an equivalent of the Multiwave bolus (this might be the "Dual" function though).

I'm sure there are others, but those are the obvious ones that I can see.
 
ohitsnicola said:
my DSN and Consultant have just put an order in for the MiniMed
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You didn't mention why they are making this change. What do the three of you think will be different for you with the 640G?

The one feature of the 640G which makes it (currently) unique, in my opinion, is the ability to do predictive basal suspend and resume when you are also using the CGM. However, the CGM does not necessarily work well for some people.

I use (an earlier version) of Medtronic's Enlite CGM and am pretty much happy enough with it. But it tends to be finicky. It probably works well for me because I think I somewhat prefer things which are a tad finicky. Others hate/loath it. Still others have more of a hate/love relationship with both good and sometime bad results.

As for non CGM stuff ... well, I only think I know what I've read. The color screen and the volume control for alerts have been a long time coming and people are glad the 640G includes them. Some people think Medtronic does the menu possibly better than other pumps, but I really don't have an opinion. While I am not sure about this, the color screen may be harder to read in direct sunlight. It's a common problem with color screens on the currently available portable devices.
 

Well I am due an upgrade anyway....and I am having on going cannula problems with this one! And also my consultant feels that they can treat me better whilst on the MiniMed as the healthcare team have the option to "link" in and see my readings etc!

The remote control bit doesn't bother me as such anyway because I use the menu features on my actual pump and not through the meter....the loud beeps are annoying lol!!
 
ohitsnicola said:
the loud beeps are annoying lol!!
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Well, for those of us using the CGM it's more of a problem if the low BG alerts from the CGM are not loud enough to wake you during the night. Though I suppose others may also want the ability to turn the volume down.

Never had the choice so can't really say how I'd feel about using it. Just glad that (some day) the option to choose will be there.
 

Does the CGM actually come with the MiniMed??? My consultant keeps going on about putting me on a CGM but nothing has happened....The combo vibrates as well as makes a sound lol....it's annoying though when you're changing your set and it beeps every few seconds lol!

Are you on the MiniMed?
 
ohitsnicola said:
Are you on the MiniMed?
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I am on an older (by 2 generations) MiniMed/Medtronic Paradigm Revel. I use the Enlite sensors but they are not exactly the same as the ones used with the 640G. Medtronic has made changes, hopefully improvements.

ohitsnicola said:
My consultant keeps going on about putting me on a CGM but nothing has happened
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Since I am in the U.S. anything I say has to be viewed skeptically. I don't know how funding works in the U.K. However, from what I've read in this discussion forum, it is hard to get funding and many (most?) people who use CGM are paying for it themselves. And that can be very expensive.

There are essentially two approaches to CGM. Both use sensors which you insert and then attach a transmitter which transmits the CGM data to a receiver device.

Medtronic has gone the path of using their pumps as the receiver for the CGM data. The 640G supports CGM in that sense. It can work with Medtronic's sensors out of the box. It can also just be used as a pump with no CGM.

Dexcom, their main competitor, sends the data to a separate receiver device since Dexcom does not manufacture pumps. However, some of the other pumps have added support to function as a receiver of the Dexcom CGM data. The Animas Vibe is one. I believe that Tandem is also going to support this, however I don't know if it is actually available now or not.

I actually am trying to not say too much about CGM unless you are interested because I tend to go on and on and on and on and ... well, you get the idea.
 
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