Understanding The Latest Diabetes Management Technology

OKRA News

As technology evolves across various different industries, it is similarly moving forward in the medical field. When it comes to diabetes technology and management, there are a number of unique ideas and solutions that have come out in the last few years and more that are being developed for the future.

Learn more about some of the diabetes apps and tech features that can make your life easier, both now and in the future. As a bonus, you can find out how our team at OKRA Care is involved in developing innovative diabetes management solutions!

While there are several digital glucose monitoring devices in the market today, not all of them are Bluetooth compatible. Those with syncing capabilities work with a diabetes app to track and store your data wirelessly. In addition to monitoring your blood sugar levels, you can use this technology to track your weight, nutritional levels, and more.

Once your monitor takes a sample, it transfers the information to any smartphone for simple data sharing and easy tracking.

OKRA Care is pleased to announce that we are releasing our own Bluetooth-enabled glucose monitoring device with an accompanying phone app to help our customers take better care of themselves. Details and availability will be announced in the coming months!

Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion, or CSII, is another unique diabetes technology that takes insulin pumps to a new level. Many diabetics choose to receive their insulin this way, through a tube that is placed underneath their skin. Typically, the tube is placed on the abdomen, the upper arm, or the inside of the thigh.

Some devices allow you to control the pump via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. They also have insulin bolus calculators already built-in that are based on the individual prescription for each patient. The pump operates depending on the insulin-to-carb ratio input from a patient’s doctor, eliminating human errors such as taking the wrong dosage.

Types of CSII Pumps

There are only five major manufacturers of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pumps, and they’re all pretty similar. The significant differences are down to the specific pump features and patient preference for the interface.

Closed-Loop Systems

The closed-loop insulin pump is the current pinnacle of T1 diabetes technology. With this system, the monitor and the pump communicate with each other to automatically adjust the boluses throughout the day. The automatic delivery system reduces the burden of daily disease management for the user as well as brings down the potential for human error. Whenever the system detects a decrease in basal rates, it can provide micro-doses to correct any tendency towards hypoglycemia.

The CSII pump is also the preferred choice for gestational diabetes. Once it’s time for labor, many doctors prefer to transition to more traditional insulin drips.

One of the more recent diabetes technologies is the smart pen. In 2017, the very first Bluetooth-enabled smart pen received approval from the FDA. The smart pen works by recording the amounts of each insulin dose and intervals between them. From there, this data is transmitted to your diabetes app.

The diabetes app you use with your smart pen can make dosage recommendations and transfer the relevant information to the cloud for easier sharing with your healthcare providers. You still need a blood glucose monitor for testing, but you can inject insulin with the pen.

We briefly discussed the closed-loop glucose delivery system earlier, but it’s a highly important type of diabetes technology that deserves its own section. While the first version of this system was introduced over 50 years ago, it only became commercially available in the 1970s. As the medical community developed new apps, delivery systems and testing methods for diabetes, closed-loop systems evolved as well.

Today’s closed-loop systems work in tandem with every element of your daily management needs. If you’re using an automated delivery system, it syncs with your devices to ensure informed insulin dosing and monitoring. An algorithm translates the data it gets from the monitor in real time and sends it to the insulin pump so it can deliver what your body needs as soon as you need it.

Today, some automated pumps that offer predictive control are available. They can track your previous dosages and pre-emptively deliver the insulin you need based on what your doctor would do in any given situation.

About 30% of people with Type I Diabetes currently use an insulin pump. As medical technology improves, more and more people will choose to use integrated devices with monitors and pumps that communicate through WiFi or Bluetooth. This allows you to share data with your doctor easily.

If you’re looking into upgrading your diabetes monitoring and insulin delivery methods, OKRA Care can help. Explore our OKRA Pro Starter Kit Bundle and stay up to date on our new releases. Do you have questions about how our monitors or refill kits work? Reach out to our customer service team online at any time! You can also get in touch with us by phone at +1-833-977-1339 between 9 AM - 5 PM EST Monday through Friday