Artificial Pancreas

An automated system that pairs a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump and a control algorithm that raises or lowers insulin delivery on its own, in an effort to hold blood glucose within a target range with less constant manual adjustment than conventional diabetes management requires. Rather than a surgically implanted organ, the term as used in diabetes care describes this closed loop combination of an external sensor, pump, and software controller, sometimes worn entirely outside the body. Research systems were tested through the 1970s and 1980s using bulky bedside equipment, and truly portable, wearable closed loop systems reached patients beginning in the late 2010s, after regulators approved algorithms able to adjust insulin dosing automatically based on the sensor's readings. Most systems approved for wide use still ask the wearer to announce meals so the algorithm can anticipate the resulting rise in glucose, and none yet fully replaces the judgment a person with diabetes and their care team apply, but the closed loop is credited with reducing the number of dangerous highs and lows compared with manual dosing alone.