AI-Enhanced CGM Approved in Europe
Key takeaways
- A new continuous glucose monitor, the Accu-Chek SmartGuide, can predict the risk of hypoglycemia from 30 minutes to seven hours ahead.
- The device is approved for use in Europe, with future U.S. approval and availability planned.
- The sensor can be worn for up to 14 days.
Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are a great way to stay on top of ever-changing blood sugar levels, and they’re only getting smarter.
Currently available CGMs can predict low and high blood sugars from 20 minutes up to an hour before they occur. The new Accu-Chek SmartGuide takes that concept further, predicting potential nighttime hypoglycemia up to 7 hours in advance.
The SmartGuide CGM can be worn for up to 14 days and is designed for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes on insulin who are over 18 years old. The CGM takes a blood sugar reading every five minutes, which is displayed in the Accu-Check SmartGuide App.
A second program installed on a smartphone, the SmartGuide Predict App, uses glucose readings and historical data to show the user a curve of likely future glucose readings continuously from 30 minutes to two hours. If the system predicts a low blood sugar in the next half hour, or a nighttime low within seven hours, a push notification is sent from the app to the user's smartphone to take action and avoid a hypoglycemic event.
The system’s predictive algorithms were developed, in part, using a form of AI called machine learning, which improves over time, to make future blood sugar readings more reliable. The company says the system calculates predictions based on historical CGM data and the time of day. The user doesn't have to enter carbohydrates or insulin taken for the predictions to work, but if entered, the company says the forecasts will be slightly more accurate.
Roche, the maker of the SmartGuide CGM, has touted the device’s predictive ability in particular for nighttime low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia at night is a top concern for people with diabetes, particularly those taking multiple daily injections, because of the potential danger of losing consciousness as well as interruptions to sleep.
"Patients have highlighted how much fear they have around hypoglycemia in the night, and their spouses as well," said biology professor Lutz Heinemann, who presented data on the performance of the CGM's predictive capabilities at the 2024 Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) conference in Florence, Italy.
Heinemann pointed out that although the nighttime prediction accuracy doesn't match that of the shorter predictions, it is "well over 80%."
The additional ability to predict lows at night should make it easier for people with diabetes to take action before it’s needed, for example eating a set number of carbohydrates before bed to ward off a predicted nighttime low before it occurs.
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