A research team led by Patrick Keith-Hynes, PhD, and BorisKovatchev, PhD, reconfigured a smartphone into a hand-held deviceto monitor a patient's insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor(CGM). The device is intended to automate much of the work ofmonitoring and maintaining safe blood sugar levels now performed bypatients such as 40-year-old Charlottesville resident Justin Wood,the first patient to participate in the UVA outpatient trial. Living with type 1 diabetes Diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes about 28 years ago, Wood usesan insulin pump to help regulate his blood sugar but must check hisblood sugar by pricking his finger at least three to five timesdaily. He also needs to precisely estimate his food consumption --especially the amount of carbohydrates -- to help properly adjusthis insulin supply. While managing his diabetes is largely second nature, Wood says,"It's something you think about -- either in the back of yourmind or the forefront of your mind -- almost constantly." Automating diabetes care Wood tested a new approach when he checked into a Charlottesvillehotel the night of April 19 for his two-day outpatient trial. Heimmediately liked the device. "The operating interface wasvery slick and very fast," he says. "The extra second ortwo you save pressing buttons adds up when you have to do it everyday." Beginning the following morning, Wood used the device toautomatically read and balance his blood sugar level. At mealtimes-- as with his standard insulin pump -- he entered what he ate tohelp balance his blood sugar quicker. He came away impressed withthe potential of the artificial pancreas. "The device automates a lot of the tracking and monitoring Ido now," he says. Wood estimated he could reduce the number oftimes he pricked his finger for blood sugar tests from at leastthree to five per day to no more than two a day. He sees theartificial pancreas as "a step forward in technology thatcould change my view and outlook on life." For Kovatchev, theoutpatient trial was a significant change from previous inpatienttrials at UVA where patients were monitored in a hospital room."To see no visible medical items around the patient -- it wasan amazing feeling to have." Next steps in testing The UVA team and other participants in the JDRF's ArtificialPancreas Project -- the University of California, Santa Barbara;Montpellier University Hospital in France; and the Universities ofPadova and Pavia in Italy -- will continue outpatient testingthrough 2013 at UVA and three other locations. Researchers plan toenroll a total of 120 patients in the trial. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Water Dispenser Part Manufacturer , China Mica Band Heater, and more. For more , please visit Mica Band Heater today!
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