Continuous blood sugar readings are now available via smartphone. The Dexcom G5™ Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System sends glucose readings directly to patients’ phones every five minutes, and indicates which direction their glucose level is trending.
Regular glucose updates means fewer finger sticks and more convenience for patients, according to Jorge Valdes, chief technical officer for Dexcom, a San Diego-based company that develops, manufactures and distributes continuous glucose monitoring systems for diabetes management.
“Finger sticks have been around 20 or 30 years, so our system, which minimizes finger sticks, is a leading-edge technology,” Valdes said. “The benefit of pharmacies having it is they’ll be carrying an innovative product that showcases where diabetes treatment is headed.”
How it works
The Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System includes a sensor and a transmitter that sends readings to a patient’s smartphone or to a Dexcom handheld receiving device. The sensor is about as thick as two human hairs, and the patient inserts it with a needle applicator a quarter-of-an-inch beneath the skin of the abdomen (or upper-buttocks for ages 2-17). The needle is removed, leaving behind the small sensor, and a plastic base above the skin where the transmitter is attached. An adhesive patch secures the plastic base to the body.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the sensor must be removed and replaced each week. Patients are able to swim, shower and use an insulin pump while wearing the device.
To detach the device, patients simply pull on the adhesive patch. Each time patients reapply the sensor, they should choose a different spot on their abdomen or buttocks—similar to rotating the placement of an insulin pump.
Inserting the sensor is less painful than finger sticks, Valdes said. “Unless you hit a nerve, you really don’t feel it,” he said. “The needle is a really small-gauge needle, similar to what diabetics use to put their insulin in.”
More information, better decisions
The continuous readings that monitor the direction of a patient’s glucose allow patients to make better-informed decisions about how to maintain a normal glucose level. For example, Valdes said a glucose reading of 80 that’s trending down would require the patient to eat carbohydrates, while a reading of 80 that’s trending up would alert the patient that no action is needed.
“The problem with stick therapy is, just knowing the value and not knowing which direction you’re going in doesn’t really give you all of the information you need to make a decision about what to do at that point in time,” Valdes said.
Another advantage of the Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System is that it minimizes the number of finger sticks patients have to take. Instead of the average four to six finger sticks per day, the system only requires two finger sticks per day to calibrate the device. Valdes said the calibration points are necessary to collect accurate readings because the sensor’s sensitivity to glucose drifts over time.
Sharing to save lives
The Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System includes a feature that allows patients to share their glucose level and trend information with up to five people through a smartphone app.
Valdes said the share feature gives children with diabetes more independence and helps ease anxiety for parents. For example, kids can go to sleepovers, and their parents can still receive updates about their blood sugar through the app.
The share feature has even saved lives.
Valdes said he received an email from a man who passed out in his home after mowing his lawn because his blood sugar had dipped too low. No one else was home, and no one would have known that he needed help without the system.
“Because he was wearing the share system, multiple family members saw where his blood glucose was. They tried calling him, but he wasn’t answering, so they ended up calling 911. Responders went into the house and found him passed out,” Valdes said.
Improving diabetes care
Valdes said the Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System allows pharmacists to take their diabetes care services to the next level.
“Since pharmacists are trying to provide more well-rounded solutions, it’s another way to get a patient into the pharmacy and engage with them, which is good for their business,” Valdes said.
And it’s more convenient for patients.
If patients order the Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System through durable medical equipment, it takes about 20 days to complete the insurance paperwork, to obtain necessary approvals and to ship the product. But, if patients order it through their pharmacy, the process only takes 24-48 hours, even if the product isn’t currently in stock.
“From a patient point-of-view, it’s way more convenient to pick up the product at a pharmacy,” Valdes said. “And from the pharmacy side, they can provide more full-service for patients.”
Find out more about the Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System at dexcom.com.
