A 4-year-old boy in Australia, Xavier Hames, just received the first artificial pancreas device from Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, which will regulate his insulin levels for him.
The hospital was where clinical trials for the device have been taking place for several years, and now it’s available for $8,100. This is big news for the many people in the world who have diabetes. In fact, just in 2013 over 79,000 children around the globe were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Insulin therapy is tricky with pumps or injections because it’s difficult to get levels where you want them at all times of the day and night.
IFLScience explained how the device works – it’s pretty cool:
The artificial pancreas features a sensor that reads blood sugar levels and communicates to the pump, which is connected to the body underneath the skin to administer the insulin. Unlike traditional pumps, this new technology does not deliver a constant stream of insulin to the body. Instead, the artificial pancreas uses an algorithm to track blood sugar levels over time, predicting when insulin is no longer required. This reduces the risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels, known as hypoglycemia.
“The majority of hypoglycemic attacks occur at night when a person is asleep and they might not be able to react or recognize the attack,” Professor Tim Jones from Princess Margaret Hospital told The West Australian. “This device can predict hypoglycemia before it happens and stop insulin delivery before a predicted event. This, coupled with the fact that the pump automatically resumes insulin when glucose levels recover, is a real medical breakthrough.”
