A new prickles blood sugar monitor has been approved by the FDA for diabetics.
Many diabetics will be thrilled to know that they don’t have to prick their finger every day to get a glucose reading from their blood. Sugar levels can now be monitored through a sensor that is located somewhere on the patient’s body thanks to a new glucose meter without blood approved by the FDA. The device enables diabetics to keep a constant watch on their blood glucose levels and regulate it with food and medicine.
The diabetes blood sugar monitor, which is recommended for adults aged 18 and up, is manufactured by Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc. and is called the Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System. This is the first type of glucose meter without blood because it does not require drawing blood through finger pricks. The diabetes blood sugar monitor uses an under the skin sensor that monitors blood sugar levels. By simply waving a specialized mobile device over the sensor, diabetics are able to read important blood sugar data that reveals if their blood sugar is too high or too low. The blood sugar monitor is a major breakthrough for patients living with diabetes, and will remove the painful process of constantly having to prick their fingers every day.
The Abbott diabetes blood sugar monitor is a water-proof device that necessitates a 12 hour start-up period. Diabetes patients can wear the glucose meter for continuous monitoring. The new blood sugar monitor will soon be available for purchase at local pharmacies at a low cost. Other medical device companies are also working on new devices to help manage diabetes. One device that is in the research and development stage is a wearable watch-type of blood sugar monitor being created by Apple. Another major breakthrough was made by the Medtronic Company with their artificial pancreas that was FDA approved last year. This device monitors and dose-adjusts insulin for Type 1 diabetes patients.
Another type of glucose meter without blood that is in the research and development stage is being conducted at Leeds University. This device uses a low emitting laser light contained in an ionized silica glass. With one touch of a patient’s finger, the device emits the laser light, which monitors the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. The amount of time that the laser light glows depends on how high or low the blood sugar is. This type of diabetes blood sugar monitor will be a portable device that patients can carry with them to test their blood sugar any time they want. The device has a 95.5 % accuracy rate and will be able to send data, via mobile app, to the patient’s doctor. Other medical device companies are also working to develop better glucose meter without blood devices, making the future of managing diabetes hopeful and bright.
These innovative blood sugar monitor breakthroughs are good news for diabetes patients not just because they are painless, but because they promise to be a much more accurate way of measuring blood sugar. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that testing your blood sugar levels will result in:
- Determining what daily adjustments need to be made
- Witnessing how diet and exercise affect your blood sugar levels
- Being alerted to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels
- Experiencing less diabetes complications
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that more than 29 million Americans suffer from diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin in their body, and people with Type 2 diabetes cannot process insulin properly. The affect of unmanaged insulin in the body can result in medical complications such as: kidney failure, blindness, stroke, heart disease, and amputation of the toes, feet and legs. People who suffer with diabetes can be thankful that progress is being made to help monitor and manage their disease with the use of new diabetes blood sugar monitor devices.
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm577890.htm