Diabetes is a serious condition that can have a devastating impact on your life. Not only can it elevate your risk of heart disease, and stroke; but also, it can damage nearly every aspect of your body— physically, mentally, and emotionally. From commonly feeling fatigued and having trouble sleeping to having vision problems and kidney failure, the list is endless. However, thanks to innovative diabetes technology, you no longer have to suffer in silence. With the help of advanced testing devices, continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and insulin pens, patients with diabetes can now have a more accurate profile of their blood sugar levels—allowing them to better monitor their disease and take proper care of themselves. To give you a better outlook on what’s coming next for diabetes tech, here are some of the major innovations expected to hit the market in 2022.
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Tandem Diabetes Care
The Tandem insulin pump is a two-part system that includes both an insulin pump and a CGM. Users can separate or combine them for their needs, depending on what feels most comfortable. The pumping device has no buttons, so you won’t have to worry about any snags or sliding of parts. It also comes with a touchscreen interface that allows users to track their glucose data on up to eight different occasions per day (instead of four) and requires less manual entry than traditional devices. As for its CGM, it is similar to other devices but also doubles as an insulin pump should users choose not to use one. While there are some flaws, such as being slightly bigger than traditional pumps; it’s still one of the better options available today! How does it work? Technically speaking, the device combines real-time sensor technology (like current CGMs) with a closed loop delivery system, similar to Medtronic’s MiniMed 530G—wherein your body is essentially taught how much insulin to give itself by mimicking non-diabetic metabolism. We’re hopeful more diabetes tech companies will pick up pace to get technology like these into patients’ hands sooner rather than later.
Mobile Bolusing by Phone
Technological innovation is also making it easier for patients to learn how to bolus and track their glucose. Take Dexcom’s G5 app, for example. The app helps you bolus by using your finger stick readings, just like traditional pumps do—only quicker! All you have to do is enter a number (usually 12) into your phone and let it do its thing. It’ll then use those numbers as an average of blood sugar readings and program them directly into your pump or CGM without any delays or extra steps involved on your part. Pretty cool right? Not only that, but thanks to continuous remote monitoring, you can get real-time feedback on whether or not you need more insulin as well. This means less time spent bolusing in between meals and smoother control overall. Most devices give users an option of when they’d like to receive alerts as well, allowing them further flexibility with their disease management plan.
Tandem Mobi (formerly t:sport)
This CGM is a little bit more like traditional CGMs, but with a twist. The device has a glucose sensor that clips onto your body like an insulin pump, only instead of sending your data to an app or website, it connects directly to your phone. From there, you can send notifications and download reading data directly into your Dexcom Follow App, which serves as an easy-to-use tracking tool for all of your diabetes devices. Not only is it great for keeping track of important details, but also allows you to get real-time alerts about rising blood sugar levels so you can keep them under control before they have time to grow out of hand. Even better? The device comes with its own bolus calculator built right into its software!
Omnipod 5 Tubeless System
This continuous glucose monitoring system is still new on the market, but there are many things we’re excited about. For one, it has a sensor that sits right below your skin (like most CGM’s), but it only takes five minutes for you to complete, and you don’t have to change it for three days at a time! Talk about a hassle-free process. Also, data is sent straight from your body into an app on your phone through Bluetooth technology; so, there’s no need for needles or wires. Most patients can also store their readings onto their pod so they can later sync them with their computer or another compatible device. This could mean less time spent logging stats and more time doing whatever else you’d like! As times continue to change and medical technology gets better, what do you think will be some of your favorite improvements made over these next few years? We’d love to hear your thoughts in our comments section below.
Medtronic Diabetes Technology
This innovative team is constantly on their game and doesn’t seem like they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Take a look at some of their recent releases, for example. First, there’s Minimed 780G that can seamlessly communicate with their Guardian 4 (CGM sensor) through Bluetooth technology—allowing them to share data back and forth so you have up-to-date tracking available whenever you need it. Next, we have Tandem pump which features CGM readings right on your device (like Tandem Mobi), similar SmartGuard technology that protects patients against insulin dosing errors, extra customizable alerts to warn against rising blood sugar levels before they get out of hand, and more! And finally, there’s Abbott’s Freestyle Libre, which keeps track of your glucose levels without any adhesive sensors or wires attached—just wrap it around your arm when you wake up each morning and download your data later. Sounds pretty cool huh.
Dexcom G7
With 3 months of battery life, integrated CGM alerts, and an easy-to-use app (for data tracking), we can’t help but drool a little bit. Not only that, but it also boasts an incredibly small transmitter (the size of a dime) that allows users to wear their device all day long without having to worry about moving it around—or forgetting where they placed it. Since its launch date, Dexcom has helped 1000’s of people better control their diabetes, with minimal fingersticks and no more carrying around bulky CGMs!
Conclusion
One unexpected positive of the advancement in diabetes technology, is the opportunity to pay less for insurance products. Robert Schmidt of Burial Insurance Pro mentions “many health and life insurance companies may consider you for discounted premiums, when applying for insurance if utilizing technology for your diabetes. This discounts may seem small at first, but truly add up over time. As an example, life insurance for type 2 diabetics may see 12% discounts per year. After let’s say 30 years of coverage, this saving the consumer thousands of dollars.”
Technology truly is constantly evolving and improving for those living with diabetes, and as things continue to change and improve, it will be exciting (and challenging) to see how these advancements change not only how we manage our disease, but also how we live our lives. As time progresses, what kind of changes do you think we’ll see? Will some be more effective than others? Share your thoughts below!
