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Review
. 2016 Jan 4;5(1):5.
doi: 10.3390/jcm5010005.

An Overview of Insulin Pumps and Glucose Sensors for the Generalist

Brooke H McAdams  1 , Ali A Rizvi  2
Affiliations
Review

An Overview of Insulin Pumps and Glucose Sensors for the Generalist

Brooke H McAdams et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Continuous subcutaneous insulin, or the insulin pump, has gained popularity and sophistication as a near-physiologic programmable method of insulin delivery that is flexible and lifestyle-friendly. The introduction of continuous monitoring with glucose sensors provides unprecedented access to, and prediction of, a patient's blood glucose levels. Efforts are underway to integrate the two technologies, from "sensor-augmented" and "sensor-driven" pumps to a fully-automated and independent sensing-and-delivery system. Implantable pumps and an early-phase "bionic pancreas" are also in active development. Fine-tuned "pancreas replacement" promises to be one of the many avenues that offers hope for individuals suffering from diabetes. Although endocrinologists and diabetes specialists will continue to maintain expertise in this field, it behooves the primary care physician to have a working knowledge of insulin pumps and sensors to ensure optimal clinical care and decision-making for their patients.

Keywords: diabetes; glucose sensor; insulin pump; monitoring; pancreas.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A Medtronic Minimed Insulin Pump and a blood glucose meter that communicates blood glucose readings wirelessly with it.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The T-slim Insulin Pump is popular with young patients due to its new touch-screen design.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The OmniPod Tubeless Insulin Pump with a pod (right) and a handheld device that functions as a blood glucose meter and communicates wirelessly with the pod to deliver insulin based on the patient’s personal settings.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The Medtronic iPro2 Professional Continuous Glucose Monitor (a) with its charger, and a Downloaded Tracing showing daily color-coded readings (b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The Medtronic iPro2 Professional Continuous Glucose Monitor (a) with its charger, and a Downloaded Tracing showing daily color-coded readings (b).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Personal Continuous Glucose Monitors: (a) the Medtronic Guardian; and (b) the Dexcom-7.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Personal Continuous Glucose Monitors: (a) the Medtronic Guardian; and (b) the Dexcom-7.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The EnLite Medtronic Real Time Continuous Glucose Sensor and Transmitter on the right in (a), integrated with the 530G Insulin Pump (Sensor-Augmented Pump Therapy). Downloaded 7-day tracing from the CareLink software are shown in (b).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The EnLite Medtronic Real Time Continuous Glucose Sensor and Transmitter on the right in (a), integrated with the 530G Insulin Pump (Sensor-Augmented Pump Therapy). Downloaded 7-day tracing from the CareLink software are shown in (b).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The Dexcom G4 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (left) displays readings and graph on the screen of the Animas Vibe Insulin Pump.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The Abbott FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System (available online: http://diatribe.org/issues/69/new-now-next/1, accessed on 3 December 2015).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Download from a 530G Medtronic insulin pump with continuous glucose sensor (Enlite) and “Threshold Suspend” feature. The upper tracing shows multiple episodes of hypoglycemia with corresponding automatic suspension of insulin delivery (lower line) secondary to sensor-detected hypoglycemia.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Diagrammatic representation of an implantable insulin pump (available online: https://thedishondiabetes.wordpress.com, accessed on 3 December 2015).
Figure 11
Figure 11
The bionic pancreas device system (available online: http://fortune.com/2014/06/16/apple-powered-bionic-pancreas-one-step-closer/, accessed on 3 December 2015).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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