DiabetesAdvocacy Products and Technology

Ascensia® CONTOUR™ Blood Glucose Monitoring System requires no coding of strips. Uses .6 µL blood sample. Results in 15 seconds. Can be used to do AST. No backlight.

Ascensia™ BREEZE™ Blood Glucose Monitoring System uses 10 strip Autodisk. Auto codes each disk for easy use. Uses 2.5 to 3.5 µL blood sample.

Accu-Chek Aviva Comes with six lancets in a preloaded drum. Gives results in 5 seconds and provides up to 4 test reminders throughout the day. Wide, easy to handle strips require sample size of only .6 µL of blood.

Testing on the side of the hand using the Freestyle Mini ™ (Freestyle Flash in the US) by Therasense. The FreeStyle Mini uses .3 microlitres of blood in its sample size. Backlight lights up readings as well as test strip. Great for night testing. *see our diabetes care page for further information on Alternate Site Testing (AST)

FreeStyle Lite Requires no coding, .3 microlitre of blood used, small in size, yet has a large, high contrast display and a backlight for easy, on-the-go testing, and allows for AST testing. Currently only available in US

FreeStyle Freedom Lite requires no manual coding, uses .3 micolitres of blood for testing, and has a large, easy to read display. US availability only.

i-Test Is an interesting system. It has a lightweight lancing devise that comes with 33 gauge lancets. The small test strips automatically calibrate when they go into the machine. The display is brightly lit and its large numbers are easy to read. It allows you to custom set "high" and "low" for your target levels.

OneTouch® Ultra®2

It uses end-fill test strips that are very easy to fill and take only 1 microliter of blood. The strip is is touchable and is approved for alternative sites. Besides now offering 3 easy to use buttons, the OneTouch Ultra2 has the ability to mark a reading as pre-meal or post-meal to help you learn about the effects of various foods on blood glucose levels.

Key features of the OneTouch Ultra2 include:
* Fast test results -- 5 seconds
* Small blood volume (1 microliter)
* Alternative site testing
* Small size and weight (easily fits in a kid's T-shirt pocket)
* End-fill test strips that can be touched
* Widest temperature range of any strip
* A 500-test memory for storing blood sugar readings
* 14- and 30-day averaging
* Large, easy-to-read display
* Data interface port
* Uses two lithium watch batteries, one for the meter (rated for approximately 1,000 tests) and one for the backlight
* Displays blood sugar readings in mg/dL or mmol/L (factory set per country)
* Three year warranty

Precision Xtra ™ uses .7microliter of blood. It provides blood glucose results in five seconds. This new Precision is much smaller and with an improved lancing device and smaller carrying case. The ketone strips remain the same in sample size and result time. Ketone testing through blood is more accurate than urine tests and should be used when ill or hyperglycemic.

A tiny waterproof sensor (top piece) monitors your glucose levels and sends values to the transmitter every five minutes, up to 288 times a day.

The insulin pump delivers insulin through a soft, tiny tube that connects tot he cannula, which is inserted under your skin and delivers insulin via a tiny continuous drip (see middle arrow above).

You can view your glucose levels on your MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time System Monitor, so you can react appropriately and proactively to highs and lows. (see bottom arrow)

REAL-Time alarms warn you of high or low glucose levels that fingersticks and A1cs alone might miss

REAL-Time trend arrows point up or down to clearly show the changes in your glucose levels.

REAL-Time graphs monitor the effect of meals, exercise, insulin and medication on your glycemic control.

Free Style Navigator

Navigator

Continuous Glucose Monitors Comparison Chart (3.28.06a)

This is definitely not an official document. It is just data gathered by well intentioned parents of children with diabetes. Abbott Freestyle Navigator is not out yet, so details are from a trial version only.

Product	Abbott Freestyle Navigator	Medtronic Guardian RT/ RealTime system	DexCom STS
Availability	Currently only in US	Currently sold in Canada and the US	Only available in US
FDA approval	March 13, 2008	7/2005. Children 7-17 and Adults	3/2006.Adults
Price *please note all prices are estimates and subject to change without notice.	Receiver and transmitter: between $960 and $1040 Six sensors (a month's supply): between $360 and $390	$1,995USD + $395USD docking station + $40USD/sensor	$450 (equipment: receiver, transmitter) $240 (4-pack of sensors that last 7 days each = 28 days)
Insurance Coverage	Case by case basis	Some plans are currently covering	Case by case basis
Accuracy		Consensus Error Grid: 98.9% A+B MARD (Mean) - 19.7% MARD (Median) - 15.6%	Clark Error Grid 97% A&B; Median 11.4%; Mean 15.7%
Sensor life	5 days	Shuts off at 72 hours (FDA stipulation), but has gone longer in trials	7 days
Length of Probe sensor	6 mm	.5 inches	6 mm
Insertion Guage		23	26
Angle of sensor insertion	90 degrees	45 degrees	45 degrees
Insertion Device Available	Each sensor has a disposable inserter	Sens-serter, manual insertion possible also	DexCom STS Applicator
Monitor size	3” X 2.5”	3” X 2” or on pump	3” X 2.5”
Transmitter/Sensor or body surface size	2"x1" combined	Sensor the size of a nickel. Transmitter is 1.4" x 1.1" x 0.3" and attaches to the sensor.	2.5 inches (both combined)
Alarms on user-set low and high threshholds Note: In clinical trials, some people never respond to alarms at night regardless of the volume. An alarming device (receiver or pump) that is under covers, a pillow, or underneath a body is almost impossible to hear. If you are considering a continuous glucose sensor, be sure to investigate the device's alarms to see if they will meet your needs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Start-up Initialization Time	10 hours	2 hours and 20 minutes	2 hours
Calibration		Every 12 hours, will alarm if calibration value not entered. More frequent daily readings will optimize accuracy.	With OneTouch Ultra, cannot be entered manually, every 12 hours
Displays glucose numbers	Every 1 minute	Every 5 minutes	Everu 5 minutes
Displays Directional Trends	Yes, always has directional and rate of change arrow. Can view 2,4,6,12,24 hour glucose graph. Can go back 28 days.	Yes, arrows that display how fast and in what direction, and 3- and 24-hour graphs	Yes, can display a 1, 3, or 9 hour glucose graph
Displays Rate of Change	Yes, Sideways arrow means dropping at less than 1 mg/dl/ minute. Up or Down arrow means raising/dropping at over 2 mg/dl a minute. 45 degree arrow means dropping/raising between 1 and 2 mg/dl per minute.	Yes, single and double arrows up or down communicates how fast glucose levels are falling or rising	No
Predictive Alarming	Yes, It will alarm on 10, 20, or 30 minutes before it thinks that you will hit that number based on the current trend. It estimates a future number by using algorithms and vector technology. (One parent has her child’s set at 20 minutes notice for highs, and 30 minutes notice for lows.)	Yes. Predictive Alerts can be set to warn you 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 minutes before glucose limits have been reached. Rate of Change Alerts can be set to warn you when glucose levels are changing between 1.1 mg/dL/min to 5 mg/dL/min, in 0.1 increments.	No
Alarm Details	Alarm or Vibrate	Vibrate, Escalating Alarm, or both	Alarm or Vibrate
Transmitter Memory		Yes, the transmitter stores up to 40 minutes of missed data. Weak signal alarm.	No
Transmitter Waterproof	Yes	Yes, IPX8, 8 feet for 30 minutes.	Yes
Transmitter Batteries	Watch Battery. Replace every month.	Non-replaceable. Transmitter life about 1 year. $999 CGM Starter Kit includes transmitter and 10 sensors.	Non-replaceable. Transmitter life? Additional Transmitter is $250.
Monitor Batteries	2 AAA batteries. Replace every 3 months.	2 AAA batteries. Monitor alerts when change is needed.	Must recharge the battery every 5 days, charge time 3 hours
Range of Monitor to Transmitter (Factory Stated)	10 feet	6 feet	5 feet
Sensor Storage: Refrigerated or Room Temperature	Room Temperature, 4 month life	Storage between 36-80 F without the need for refrigeration. 6 month life.	Room Temperature, 4 month life
Snooze alarm feature	Yes, 1 hour silence	Yes, customizable for high and low alarms
BG monitor	Built in Freestyle Flash Monitor	New Contour designed to replace BD Link	Must calibrate with One Touch Ultra
Computer Software	Freestyle CoPilot	CareLink	DexCom DM Consumer Data Manager ($79)
Warranty		9 months on transmitter, 1 year on monitor	6 month warranty for receiver and transmitter
Upgrade program		Medtronic Pathway Program
Money-back guarantee		30 day return policy for transmitter	10 days if package unopened
Developing Technology	Working on communications with a pump	Closed loop sensor and pump in clinical trials (Yale, elsewhere).	Longterm ( about 1 year/outpatient procedure) Implantable Sensor

Websites for more info:

Navigator: http://abbottdiabetescare.com/freestylenavigator/qa.aspx

FreeStyle Navigator Not as Precise as Other Glucose Meters

Guardian: http://www.minimed.com/products/guardianrt/

DexCom STS: http://www.dexcom.com/sts.php

*Size of sensor canula: 6 mm probably good length for kids, we know of one adult athlete who had trouble with the sensor coming out.

Please note the above data was compiled by a consumer in the US and therefore reflects US pricing. Accuracy is also therefore not guaranteed but a best guess. Thank you to Jennifer White for compiling the original table.

Pelikan Sun device costs 199.00 Two disks of 50 lancets per disk (total 100 disks) costs 15.00

The I-PORT™ is applied with an insertion needle by guiding a cannula (a soft and fl exible tube) under the surface of the skin. Once applied, the insertion needle is removed and a thin, hypoallergenic layer of adhesive holds the device in place. Using a syringe or insulin pen, medication may be injected into the I-PORT™ for up to 72 hours through an elastic septum located on the surface of the device. During injection, the needle of the syringe or insulin pen does not penetrate the surface of the skin while the medication is delivered from the syringe through the cannula and directly into the subcutaneous tissue. Not currently available in Canada but watch for its arrival!

Using a tiny keyboard-enabled wireless device called the Communicator,children punch in Diabetes Short Codes for sending blood glucose, insulin, carbohydrate and exercise data to family member’s email and cell phones as text messages in real-time. You can also remind your child and ask questions by sending email to your kid’s Communicator. Diabetes Short Codes are an important part of a new system being used by leading diabetes centers around the USA and will soon change the way your team manages diabetes. From Diabetech website

GlucoMON®2 Wireless Glucose Meter GlucoMON®2 is approximately 80% smaller than the previous GlucoMON making it the smallest and lightest GlucoMON ever. GlucoMON2 also makes the world's easiest way to share blood glucose levels even easier with even more automation designed into the device itself. GlucoMON2 availability is planned for Q3 '2007 and is capable of operating anywhere in the world where there is support for GSM/GPRS networks. The bundled device, airtime and service will be available through payer-sponsored and direct-to-consumer programs. Not only is GlucoMON2 more advanced; it's also more personalized with a variety of designer colors available based on local preferences. Companies interested in distribution and/or establishing programs leveraging GlucoMON2 should contact Diabetech immediately for more information.

GlucoMON2 will support the Ultra2 due to its broad patient adoption, unsurpassed quality and the fact that its OneTouch® blood glucose test strips are the most widely reimbursed strip on the market. Likewise, we selected GSM/GPRS as our wireless network backbone due to its broad global footprint and support for high speed data applications in our fourth generation wireless data, voice and video dedicated medical handhelds targeting availability in 2008.

*Diabetech and GlucoMON are registered trademarks of Diabetech, LP. LifeScan, Ultra and OneTouch are registered trademarks of LifeScan, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners.
GlucoMON and the GlucoMON2 are investigational devices and subject to certain FDA guidelines including 510(k) marketing clearance prior to marketing for sale in the US. All other local regulations apply. The performance characteristics of these devices have not been established. This service offering is compliant with applicable federal and state regulations including HIPAA, which govern the privacy and
security of human subjects research.

The automatic insertion device for Accu-Chek Ultraflex. Enables easy and virtually pain-free insertion. Facilitates access to hard-to-reach infusion sites. Reduces reluctance to insert infusion sets. Increases confidence in correct placement of the infusion set.

Self-contained unit enables quick view of information. No software to load or manipulate. Connects directly to your computer's USB port. View on internet browser (no internet connection required). Infrared window for communication with various Accu-Chek insulin pumps and meters. $19.99 (subject to change)

Its built-in filling aid snaps easily and securely onto standard 10ml insulin vials facilitating safe and rapid fill. The ergonomic plunger rod gives you good control of the filling process, and a hidden needle protects you from accidental needle sticks. The plunger rod and filling aid can be disposed of as household waste.

The tubeguard is the small black devise with the tubing wrapped around it. It can be obtained through Unimedical

Diabetes Express in Toronto, Ontario, offers a complete selection of insulin pump supplies, test strips, lancets, and syringes as well as hard to find diabetic accessories. The company has an extensive foot care section and also carries diabetes related books and nutritional scales. The order desk is open from 7:30AM to 8PM (EST), Monday to Friday and Saturdays from 9:30 to 4:30. The toll-free number is (866) 418-3392

If you enjoy the work of Diabetes Advocacy and the information presented on this site, please consider supporting our efforts through your purchases of diabetes awareness and medical items from our Online Store.

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 30, 2008

If you enjoy the work of Diabetes Advocacy and the information presented on this site, please consider supporting our efforts through your purchases of diabetes awareness and medical items from our Online Store.

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: August 30, 2008

Send mail to webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 30, 2008