A Nurses Review: Medtronic 670g Insulin Pump
Medtronic’s 670 G hybrid closed loop system is the smartest insulin pump to hit the market, and people living with type 1 diabetes, including my daughter and I, have been gobbling them up. As we embark into our second week on this new system, the majority of the time I’m all in, thinking: “This is amazing, I haven’t drank juice in days,” “I need to eat something – just to eat, not because I need to balance my diabetes,” “It’s so nice not to have T1D awaken me from sleep,” or “I feel less worried about my daughter.” All remarkable thoughts. A minority of the time, I’m thinking: “Why is this pump buzzing at me again?” “This algorithm isn’t really getting me into the 120 range,” “This sensor is frustrating – my Dexcom was so simplistic to use compared to this finicky Guardian 3 sensor,” “I wish I could calibrate anytime; there’s so much button pushing and user demand.” It’s not all peaches and cream – it’s a work in progress. Patience, I tell myself. It will get to know me better. Most people report that it takes a month to love the Medtronic 670G. Truth be told: I’m one week in, and I do love it 90% of the time – as does my 15 year old. Getting Started on the 670G We personally utilized the “Pathway Program” Medtronic offered through the end of April, 2017, placing us in a virtual line for the Medtronic 670G upgrade. We were fortunate enough to have purchased our pumps less than a year prior, so our out of pocket was expensive, but not unthinkable. Word has it that 50,000 customers have ordered the Medtronic 670G pump, but customers have faced hurdles along the way with the age of their current pumps and/or lack of insurance coverage for a new pump. Owning a pump that isn’t out of warranty means we’re at Continue reading >>
What It’s Like To Use The Medtronic 670g
Jason Gensler, person with type 1 diabetes, is the founder of the Foundation for Type One Diabetes and the creator of the synergistic philanthropy model. He’s an out of the box thinker, beer aficionado, coffee connoisseur, and bacon fanatic. He proudly dedicates his life to social entrepreneurship on behalf of the global type 1 diabetes community. Jason is one of the first users of the Medtronic 670G hybrid closed loop insulin pump system, sometimes referred to as an artificial pancreas. He’s been wearing the pump for the last 23 months and is planning to help test the next iteration of Medtronic’s technology. He answered some questions for us about what it’s like to live with this promising new device. Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience with diabetes. How old were you when you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and how did you manage your blood sugars before you started the 670G? I was diagnosed with T1D two weeks after my 16th birthday. My 17 year Dia-versary is on May 10th 2017. Prior to the 670G I was wearing the T-slim pump and using the Dexcom G4 CGM. I managed my BGs as best I could prior to the trial and although I could maintain about a 7.0% – 8.0% A1C it felt like a ton of work. What inspired you to sign up to try the 670G? I have participated in many trials over the last 5 years at the Barbara Davis Center, and have witnessed the progress being made in our industry. I went into the 670G pivotal trial with huge expectations, knowing what was on the line for the diabetes industry, our T1D community, and knowing how many companies are pursuing their own version of an artificial pancreas or ‘automated system’. I applaud Medtronic for their efforts to blaze the trail for the industry. In my opinion, they learned a great deal from the Continue reading >>
First Impressions Of Medtronic's 670g Hybrid Closed Loop
Anyone touched by type 1 diabetes has to be excited about the FDA's recent approval of the first pre-Artificial Pancreas system, the Medtronic Minimed 670G. It's a milestone towards ever-more-sophisticated automated insulin delivery! Today, we're thrilled to have our correspondent Wil Dubois walk us through a hands-on initial review of this exciting new system. Test-Driving the Medronic 670G, 'Future of Diabetes Technology' Everything about Medtronic’s new Minimed 670G hybrid closed loop insulin pump is so different that it requires a substantial shift in mindset. Like one of those team-building exercises where you cross your hands and fall backwards, counting on your peers to catch you, the 670G requires us to let go of elements of diabetes control that for years have bordered on sacred. Why? Because this pump isn’t like anything we’ve ever seen before. In fact, it isn’t like any diabetes therapy we’ve ever seen before. What the 670G Does and Doesn't Do How many times have you started your day high, even though you went to bed on-target and haven’t eaten for 8, 10, or more hours? How would you like a pump that could see you were drifting up while you slept, and just automatically gave you more insulin to fix the problem? Or a pump that could see that you are drifting down during a hard day’s work and shut off the flow of insulin to prevent a low? That’s the promise of the 670G. It’s designed to track changes in your blood sugar via a CGM, and keep you in target by automatically delivering “micro boluses” or withholding insulin—replacing a traditional fixed basal rate. All 670G users need to do is count carbs and enter them into the pump when they are going to eat. So, how well does it live up to its promise? Well… OK, first things first. The p Continue reading >>
My New Boyfriend, The Medtronic 670g
I have been a bit quiet lately, and that is mostly because I have wanted to give the 670G a chance with out diving in with posts. That, and I simply haven’t had time. I am happily busy with work and raising a family, which is what currently occupies most of my attention. So, I started on the 670G on August 1st, and stayed in manual mode for 2 weeks. I believe that helped me a lot, especially since the 670G works differently than even the 630G. However, even from starting on the 670G, things were getting better. This is because the pump suspends insulin before I hit my low limit, AND it stays off only as long as I need it to. SO, If I only needed it paused for 30 minutes, that’s all it would suspend for, and my basal would be automatically resumed. (Unlike the 530G and 630G where it would stay on for the full 2 hours and stay that way). So right away, my rebounds were so much smoother, and I could treat with less carbs. I have to admit — I was super scared going into auto mode. I seriously didn’t think I wanted to even use it. But, I went in and went through with it, and I’m so glad I did. Now — here is where the title reference comes in. While I was at AADE, I talked with a Medtronic rep for a long time about auto mode. She told me the best advice she has been able to give her patients is to look at the system like starting a brand new relationship. ( I mean, what first date doesn’t try to “sell” you and exaggerate their features a bit teensy when you meet them?) You have to give it time and patience. With that in mind, and comments from others to say that it takes about a month to three months to get the system adjusted to you, I didn’t go into it with expectations that flipping me over to auto mode would be a cruise-control switch, because it’s n Continue reading >>
670g And Me: Insights And Incites On Medtronic’s Latest System
What’s the purpose of a diabetes management device? Is it to lower A1c? Prevent hypoglycemia? Spend more time in-range? Some combination of all three? Or perhaps we have to look beyond blood sugar control. After all, quality of life has to count for something. Does it make living with diabetes safer and easier? My Detailed Review of The MiniMed 670G from Medtronic The MiniMed 670G from Medtronic is an insulin pump coupled with a glucose sensor. It uses a computer program (called an “algorithm”) to automate certain aspects of insulin delivery. I decided to try 670G partially out of professional interest (everybody and their great aunt has been asking for my opinion on the system), and partially out of personal interest, as my blood glucose control hasn’t been the greatest the past couple of years. Let me start out by saying this: Since I started using 670G, my overall blood glucose control is better. I have to keep reminding myself of this non-consequential fact, because every day I find things about this system that I don’t particularly like. In my opinion, the pump itself leaves a lot to be desired. There are so many features and so many menus and so many safety/confirmation steps that my button thumb is starting to form a blister. The color screen is nice, but not large enough to display everything it needs to display. And the freakin’ clip is upside down. The reservoir connector pokes me in the gut every time I bend over, and I have to unclip it to see the screen and programming menus in the proper orientation. The “hybrid closed loop” part of the system (what I prefer to call the “semi-automatic feature”) is what makes 670G special. It functions by making adjustments to the BASAL insulin based on data received from the linked glucose sensor. Sinc Continue reading >>
