Artificial pancreas may be available to diabetic patients sooner than expected as a major trial produced “blisteringly brilliant” early results. The high-tech kit continuously monitors glucose levels via sensors under a patient’s skin and, when needed, automatically delivers insulin to the bloodstream. It is hoped it will replace the regular finger-prick tests that diabetics need to carry out to check their blood sugar levels, as well as prevent life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks when it drops too low.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is fitting 1,000 Britons with type 1 diabetes with one of the gadgets. The kind of diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar, also known as glucose, in the blood.
Without insulin, harmful substances called ketones can build up in the body. This can cause a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening if not spotted and treated quickly. The artificial pancreas trial, the largest of its kind in the world, began in July and health chiefs are expected to come to a decision next year on whether to begin offering them widely.
Professor Partha Kar, diabetes consultant at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and National Specialty Adviser to NHS England, said, “This is the first time this tech has been rolled out to so many patients, and already we can see it is blisteringly brilliant. This could be potentially life-changing.” Scientists hope it will replace the regular finger-prick tests that diabetics need to carry out to check their blood sugar levels, as well as prevent life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks when it drops too low. Doctors at the trial have called the artificial pancreas “overwhelmingly effective” at reducing the burden of living with type 1 diabetes and is capable of improving the long-term health of patients.
Dr Emma Wilmot, consultant diabetologist at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, said, “At our hospital we have more than 100 patients on the artificial pancreas, many of whom are seeing really quite astounding improvements. Patients are more in control of their blood sugar levels than they've ever been since they were diagnosed. Most importantly, they say their quality of life has massively improved because they're spending far less time thinking about their diabetes.”
