![]() ![]() The longtime leader in insulin pumps also makes a CGM device called the Guardian, which was originally only sold in a combo system with its pumps. ![]() estimated total: $6,000 per year, or $500 a month.a total of $4,800 for a box of 3 Dexcom G6 sensors (each sensor is supposed to last up to 10 days).a total of $1,200 for Dexcom G6 transmitters (each lasts 90 days, so 4 transmitters per year).Rough retail costs per year without insurance: It also includes voice integration via Apple’s Siri technology. The system offers customizable alerts, compatibility with Dexcom’s Clarity software and smartphone app for reviewing data, and the ability to easily share device data with up to 10 followers (which can include your doctor, diabetes educator, caregiver, or family members). The sensor transmitter uses Bluetooth connectivity to talk with the Dexcom G6 mobile app for both iOS and Android devices, as well as Apple Watch and other devices, including insulin pumps like the Tandem t:slim X2. Each transmitter lasts for about 90 days before needing replacement. There is a separate transmitter that clicks into the plastic-base housing of each new G6 sensor. It’s FDA approved to be safely used in children as young as 2 years old.Įach G6 sensor is labeled to be worn on the abdomen for up to 10 days before needing replacement. The latest version is the Dexcom G6 CGM, which comes “factory calibrated,” eliminating the need for users to set baseline levels with a fingerstick test. San Diego-based Dexcom was the pioneer in this field, introducing the first-ever real-time CGM in 2006. Share on Pinterest russellleephoto / Shutterstock It’s also a potentially life-saving tool for people with diabetes who experience hypoglycemia unawareness, alerting them to impending low blood sugars when their own bodies fail to recognize the warning signs. ![]() TIR is quickly becoming the new gold standard measure of positive diabetes outcomes.ĬGMs can be especially beneficial for active children (and adults too), for ensuring safety during physical activity and during nighttime glucose fluctuations. Other studies ( here and here) show that CGMs can help increase the user’s time-in-range (TIR), the overall percentage of time spent in a healthy glucose range. Though fingersticks are sometimes needed to calibrate CGM systems and can still serve as a backup data source, they are no longer a constant, nagging, unpleasant to-do.įurthermore, studies ( here and here, for instance) have shown CGMs to be among the best outpatient blood sugar management options for reducing A1C - the traditional “gold standard” test of blood glucose management. CGMs can essentially eliminate the need for regular fingerstick tests, the long-standing only way to check blood sugar levels. This is a huge advantage over historic “static” blood glucose monitoring, which only provides a single glucose reading at a time. The idea here is empowerment, as these devices provide some serious medical and lifestyle benefits.įirst off, you can literally see in real time the effects of food and exercise on your blood glucose levels, and catch cases of hyperglycemia (blood sugar too high) and hypoglycemia (blood sugar too low) as they happen, avoiding the potentially dangerous consequences. That equates to roughly 288 readings in a day. Unlike a traditional fingerstick (blood glucose meters), which provide just a single glucose reading, CGMs provide continuous, dynamic glucose information every 5 minutes. It’s not an understatement to say that CGMs have revolutionized diabetes care. You can also set the alert parameters and customize how you’re notified. Some systems come with a dedicated monitor, and some now display the information via a smartphone app, so you don’t even need to carry an extra device around with you.Īside from the constant stream of data, most CGMs can send alerts telling you when your blood sugar levels are rising too high or dropping too low. Generally, the sensors have to be replaced every 7 to 14 days.Ī small, reusable transmitter connected to the sensor allows the system to send real-time readings wirelessly to a monitor device that displays your blood glucose data. An adhesive patch holds the sensor in place, allowing it to take glucose readings in interstitial fluid (the fluid that surrounds cells in the body) throughout the day and night. To use a CGM, you insert a small sensor onto your abdomen (or arm) with a tiny plastic tube known as a cannula penetrating the top layer of skin. What is continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)?Ī CGM is a compact medical system that continuously monitors your glucose levels in more or less real time (there’s normally a 5-minute interval between readings). ![]()
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