Purpose of review: Recent developments in technology have ushered in a new era of managing type 1 diabetes. Continuous glucose monitoring is rapidly becoming an accepted adjunct to traditional self-monitoring of plasma glucose, and the marriage of continuous glucose sensors to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion is the first step towards the development of a true artificial pancreas. The purpose of this review is to familiarize the reader with the new glucose sensors and discuss the literature evaluating their accuracy and effectiveness.
Recent findings: Current models of continuous glucose sensors are still less accurate than traditional methods of blood glucose monitoring but provide information regarding trends that cannot be obtained with blood testing. Short-term studies of continuous glucose sensors have demonstrated reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin levels and time spent in hypo- and hyperglycemic ranges. Patient acceptance and satisfaction with sensors has been shown to depend on the quality of the data, comfort of wear, and ease of use.
Summary: Sensor-augmented pump therapy represents a landmark improvement in diabetes treatment and will likely become the standard of care. Future work should focus on improvements in sensor accuracy and development of user-friendly algorithms to assist patients with self-management.