Insulin Pump Reduces Nocturnal Hypoglycemia by Suspending Insulin
An insulin pump that suspends delivery in the face of falling glucose levels lowers the incidence of nocturnal hypoglycemia, according to aNew England Journal of Medicine study.
In the study, sponsored and conducted by the manufacturer, some 250 patients with type 1 diabetes who had recent nocturnal hypoglycemia were randomized either to using a pump with a “suspend” feature, or to a standard pump. The suspend feature stopped insulin delivery for up to 2 hours if glucose levels dropped to 70 mg/dL or less.
After 3 months, glycated hemoglobin levels did not differ between patients using the suspend pumps and controls. A measure of nocturnal hypoglycemia, however, was about one third lower with the suspend pumps.
There were four episodes of severe hypoglycemia, all among the controls. The authors say the suspend-feature pump, available outside the U.S. since 2009, is under FDA review.
