LIVINGLIVING
Company: Lifescan (part of Johnson &
Johnson)
Brand: One Touch
Pump name: Animas Vibe
Sensor augmented: Yes, Dexcom CGM
Colour display: Yes
Careline: 8.30am to 6.00pm M-F;
9.00am to 1.00pm Saturday. UK 0800-
121-200; Ireland 1800-535-676. 24-hour
Technical Support Helpline: UK 0800 028
0616 (UK); 1800 535 676 (Ireland).
Supplies and accessories: Available to
order 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, as well
as infusion sets, there are various pumpwear items,
such as the trademarked
'thigh thing', a bra holder, a leather pump
case, a pump waistband as well as a
tamper-resistant case (for children).
Animas Vibe
The Animas Vibe pump incorporates
Swiss gearing on the inside, making its
dosing capabilities very accurate, while
being made in the USA. Available for the
last six years, it is a tried and tested pump
being simple and easy to use. It comes
in a choice of 4 colours. Popular with
those who do watersports, the pump
is waterproof to 3.6m (12 feet) for 24
hours, however do not wear your Animas
insulin pump scuba diving or in water at
depths greater than 3.6 m (12 feet). The
colour screen on the Animas Vibe shows
glucose trends (going up, going down)
when sensor enabled. Should there be a
need, loan pumps are available as part of
the support for the Animas Vibe, as well
as a next-day replacement service.
Back in 2011 the Animas Vibe insulin
pump was the first and only continuous
glucose monitoring (CGM)-enabled insulin
pump system (i.e. sensor augmented),
using the Dexcom G4 CGM technology.
More recently, ongoing progress from
both Animas and Dexcom has resulted
in the OneTouch Vibe Plus insulin pump
gaining FDA approval being the first
insulin pump integrated with the Dexcom
G5 Mobile CGM for patients age two and
older living with diabetes. The OneTouch
Vibe Plus combines accurate and precise
insulin dosing technology from Animas
with the most accurate CGM sensing
technology from Dexcom. The Dexcom
G5 Transmitter collects blood glucose
readings from the Dexcom sensor and
wirelessly sends them to the patient's
OneTouch Vibe Plus Insulin Pump screen
and compatible smart device using the
Dexcom G5 Mobile System and app. This
enables patients using the pump and their
caregivers to access CGM data wherever
it is most convenient for them, and to
make informed diabetes management
decisions. In addition to the primary smart
device, glucose data can be shared with
up to five people utilizing the Dexcom
Follow App.
At the time of going to press, the
launch of this device has yet to be
announced, either in the US and Canada
or the UK.
www.animascorp.co.uk
Company: Imperial College London,
supported by the Wellcome Trust
Pump name: BiAP
The Bio-Inspired Artificial Pancreas (BiAP)
is still in the research stage. It is worn
externally and combines a CGM sensor
that reads the user's interstitial fluid sugar
level and an insulin pump that infuses
the insulin into the body (they are using
a T:Slim pump). The most innovative
element is the biologically-inspired
microchip which uses an algorithm to
combine the CGM data with the pump's
capacity to infuse insulin. This has enabled
the research team to replicate the activity
of the beta cells of the pancreas using
integrated circuits on a silicon microchip.
With this they have been able to "deliver
insulin profiles expected from a healthy
pancreas". Information from the sensor
feeds into the pump, the pump has an
algorithm within it. The algorithm uses
the CGM data to adjust the rate of insulin
being delivered in the pump, which is
set for automated insulin delivery. The
sophistication of the algorithm is key to
accurate dosing. To read a fuller update,
click HERE.