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You DO have to constantly calibrate the pump though. It's not a perfect solution.

I am astounded there is not a close loop system yet.



Are the papers here [1] relevant? I sat in on this conference session as a student, and don't have access to the full papers to check my recollection. As I recall, most of the papers revolved about the theme of closed loop control of blood sugar.

At the time this was presented, the results were billed as the biggest advance in Intensive Care in recent history. The authors claimed to have hard numbers, showing that closed loop control of blood sugar for ICU patients was delivering (something like 40% if memory serves me???) fewer deaths for ICU patients. I'm not in the ICU area, so I don't know if the techniques outlined in the paper made it into clinical practice or real products. If so, you'd think it would trickle down into diabetes management. As a non-diabetic, am I completely misunderstanding the problem?

The International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) is the peak body for control research, so there's a good chance you will read about any new closed loop system there.

[1] http://www.sysid2006.org/Wednesday.html#web4

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Edit: A couple more links from my poking around. Might provide some reading if closed loop control of diabetes is of interest.

http://www.medschl.cam.ac.uk/paediatrics/pages/wilinska.html

Closed Loop Insulin Infusion for Critically Ill Patients (with pictures of an actual device):

http://www.clinicip.org/

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Edit: Found the actual numbers here: http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.doc...

42% reduction in mortality, compared to the old insulin control method, which I presume is open-loop?


You mean calibrate the CGM? There's no pump calibration needed.


My relative is definitely calibrating some instrument related to the pump multiple times per day.


Ah, then they are calibrating their CGM (likely integrated into the pump, as they are likely using either an Animas Vibe (outside the US) or a Metronic Minimed Paradigm). They aren't calibrating the pump, they are calibrating the pump's CGM vis a vi their meter via finger stick.


Not an expert, but maybe he's talking about the relative changing the basal rate (correct words? The 'give me this amount continuously' rate a pump will inject) or (this is something my type I ex-gf did a lot) he mistakes some 'correction shots' after meals for calibration?


Definitely involves blood and a small oval thing with a LCD screen.




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