Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Last Wednesday, the FDA listened experts outline possible next step for the development of the Artificial Pancreas. So far the Artificial Pancreas has demonstrated that the technology does improve blood glucose control in a hospital or clinical setting. But clinical settings are not real life...
"there is concern over human error."
Isn't there also concern about human error when patients inject insulin? Yet they'll send tiny diabetic babies home with relatively little parental training about calculating doses. Just some standard dosage. A small error in a tiny baby could have a dreadful result.
Yes, there could be system error and there could be human error. Why can't they start testing the devices with patients who have a lot of experience and who have demonstrated good control for years? Then they could move on to people with mediocre skills, and eventually to those with poor skillls.
Well, Gretchen: I truly hope we don't send home our families of children or todldlers with little training and standard insulin doses. Indeed, at Children's National Medical Center, we speak to these families daily for adjustments. That, not withstanding, does NOT diminish the need for further research innovation in regard to the artificial pancreas. We must continue to look for technology such that the the pump and the sensor talk to each other in the same language with nothing lost in translation.
DrC
I've heard patients say that happened in their families. But these were adults, and so it happened some years ago. I agree with you that I hope it doesn't happen today, but I suspect it still does in patients who lack good health care, don't have a regular physician, don't speak good English, and tend to get lost from the system.
Let's hope things are improving!
And by having this conversation, we are creating change!