Predictive management system reduces hypos in children with type 1 diabetes

A predictive management system on an artificial pancreas has been shown to significantly help children with type 1 diabetes.
The predictive low-glucose management (PLGM) feature on the Medtronic MiniMed 640G system can help reduce hypoglycemia, according to a research team from Slovenia.
PLGM prevents the occurrence of hypoglycemia by incorporating continuous glucose sensor data into an algorithm and suspending basal insulin.
A total of 100 children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes were recruited for the trial. They were split into two different groups where one group used the PLGM feature and the other did not.
Lead author Dr Tadej Battelino, from the University Children’s Hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia, said: “The PLGM insulin suspension was associated with a significantly reduced number of hypoglycemic events.
“Although this was achieved at the expense of increased time in moderate hyperglycemia, there were no serious adverse effects in young patients with type 1 diabetes.”
The MiniMed 640G is an insulin pump but is slightly different as it mimics the function of a healthy pancreas by administering or stopping insulin when needed. The device is able to detect blood sugar levels by using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors and fits on the body under the skin.
According to Medtronic, in 2015 almost 60,000 hospital admissions were related to a severe hypoglycemic attack in people with type 1 diabetes, which costs the NHS approximately £55 million.
In February 2016, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued positive guidance for the use of the Medtronic system.
The findings of the study were published in the Diabetes Care journal.