In February, CIM travelled to Madrid, Spain to take part in the 2020 Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) conference. We took in as much as we could and shared through both Instagram and Twitter in real time, but, of course, there was way more that we wanted to pass on. Today, we’re taking the time to share key learnings from presentations on Medtronic diabetes tech at the conference. You can also read about updates from Dexcom and Abbott.
Disclaimer: Please check out CIM’s Partners Page to learn more about the companies we work with. This post was not paid for and does not represent sponsored content, but it’s important to recognize that we may be biased based on the fact that some companies highlighted below support CIM in different ways. We still thought this info was important for you to know about.
Summary: Although we expect lots of updates coming our way from the team at Medtronic, most of what is ahead in the future is held under lock and key. That is, of course, unless you gain access to Medtronic’s Innovation Lab, a look into the future of Medtronic offered occasionally at Healthcare Provider events (including ATTD.) And even then, those entering the Innovation Lab sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so you won’t find much being shared online. What we can share with you, though:
- Longer-wear pump sites
- Automatic insulin compensation for missed boluses
- Lower BG targets in Automode on the horizon
- New, faster insulins being tested in Medtronic’s pumps
At ATTD, we saw the Medtronic Team present on extended wear infusion set technology. Extended wear, you say? That’s right. The new pump site technology being developed by Medtronic aims to allow users to wear a pump site for up to 7 days, instead of the current 3. The new infusion site technology, called the H-Cap Extended Wear Set (HEWS) was studied in individuals with Type 1 diabetes and compared to extended use of the current Medtronic Quick-set. Participants wore the sites until the sites failed OR until 7 days. We were particularly interested in this study as it shows that work is being done into pump site technology – something we haven’t seen a lot of in the past. One of the goals of the study was to align the changing of insulin pump sites to the changing of CGM sensors, ultimately decreasing the burden of diabetes. Overall, the study found that 80% of the HEWS sites were still working on day 7, which is the same rate observed with currently available 3-day wear sites.
Original Photo Credit: Diatribe
We also saw research into Medtronic’s new Advanced Hybrid Closed Loop (AHCL) pump system. The future system is programmed to correct out of range BGs not only with altered basal rates, but with correction boluses as well. One of the goals of this new system is to help individuals who may miss mealtime boluses or incorrectly carb count at mealtimes. In the research presented, individuals who ate meals with carbs of 80g or less and missed the mealtime bolus, stayed in range between 3.9 and 10.0 mmol/L 73% of the time. We’re impressed!
The new system will also allow for BG targets of 5.5 mmol/L (100mg/dL), compared to the pre-set BG target of 6.7 mmol/L (120 mg/dL) on the current 670g.
An additional study looked at the use of Novo Nordisk’s Fiasp in the 670g system and whether its use could further improve results after missed mealtime boluses. Looking forward to seeing whether more insulin pumps will be indicated for use with some of the faster insulins on the market soon.
To learn more about what Medtronic has on the go and to stay updated, visit their websites:
Canada: https://www.medtronic.com/ca-en/diabetes/home.html
USA: https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/home
