8. Advanced Closed-Loop Insulin Pumps

Advanced closed-loop insulin pumps are an important development within diabetes care because as they use sensing technologies and artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically adjust insulin in response to predicted glucose levels. This functionality can help support self-management and ensure glucose levels are within the target range for a longer period compared with other insulin management options. Real-time insulin administration eliminates the use of insulin injections, thus reducing the inconvenience of hands-on management for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Implications

Advances in the technology have the potential to transform diabetes care. The innovations aim to improve the quality of life for people living with type 1 diabetes (and their caregivers) by offering greater flexibility around diabetes management and increasing the accessibility, functionality, and reliability of insulin delivery systems.

Some emerging changes in advanced closed-loop delivery systems include:

• Innovative features of existing hybrid closed-loop systems including a pump with integrated blood glucose sensors to autocorrect insulin dosing and a system that uses predictive algorithms to adapt insulin delivery to reduce significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
• Emerging advanced closed-loop insulin pumps may use fast-acting insulin analogues, integrate additional health metrics, and improve designs of previous systems.