People with type 1 diabetes typically have to work hard to maintain their blood sugar levels within a target range, as this leads to better health and lower risk of dangerous complications. We wrote about the Medtronic MiniMed 670G hybrid closed-loop glucose management and insulin delivery system when it was in trials, and after it received FDA approval for investigative use in the U.S. The FDA also approved the system for children ages 7-13.
Medtronic recently released the results of real-world clinical use by 32,178 users and more than 2 million patient days relying on the MiniMed 670G system and SmartGuard hybrid closed-loop algorithm. The report compared Medtronic patient data to another group that administered multiple daily injections. Patients with the MiniMed 670G system stayed in the optimal blood glucose range an average of 70.3% of the time, which is a 41.1% improvement over patients who self-administered insulin injections. More than 85% of the MiniMed patients also reported improved quality of life in five categories: energy and mobility, diabetes control, anxiety and worry, social burden, and sexual functioning. Digging deeper into the data, Medtronic’s researchers found that more time spent with the system improved both time-in-range and quality of life.
Patient satisfaction and improved metrics with the Medtronic system have implications beyond one product, one company, and one health condition or disease. Success with a high-visibility tech product that combines sensors, algorithms, and delivery systems also gives hope to patients with other chronic conditions and to the organizations searching for new management and treatment solutions for these patients
