In Europe, 2 million people have type 1 diabetes, including 250,000 in France. The frequency of this autoimmune disease increases by 5% each year on average. As World Diabetes Day was held on November 14, France 3 tells the story of three patients at Perpignan hospital, who live with an artificial pancreas, completely autonomous.
How does the artificial pancreas work?
The principle of the artificial pancreas is to mimic the action of the pancreas using an insulin pump and artificial intelligence. This device prevents the patient from measuring his blood glucose level himself to activate his insulin pump. It is intended for patients with type 1 diabetes. The benefit of the artificial pancreas has been validated by the HAS. Next step: the launch on the market scheduled for 2021. In the meantime, it is being evaluated in France, only three patients live with.
How it works ? They are equipped with a sensor that continuously measures the glucose level and adapts the insulin level in real time, without the patient having to do anything. Everything communicates via bluetooth! The blood glucose data is sent to an artificial intelligence module, which instructs the pump to inject the correct dose of insulin. Connecting this tool to the internet also allows the healthcare team to provide remote monitoring of patients.
The only exception is at mealtime: the diabetic patient must announce his food and tell the pump the amount of carbohydrate they contain. Enough to improve the quality of life of patients but also glycemic balance.
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