| Change text size Print Share

« Previous |  1 of 9  | Next »

Continuous glucose monitoring is the future for keeping track of your body's glucose levels. The continuous glucose monitor (CGM) gives you a glucose number -- without a skin prick -- every few minutes, adding up to hundreds of readings a day. If the CGM detects a high or low reading, it sends an alert to your receiver, predicting impending trouble. These alerts can help you take action to control highs and lows.

Working with your diabetes educator or health-care provider, you'll set up the receiver with your desired high and low thresholds to detect your personal glucose boundaries. The receiver also details glucose trends and how quickly -- or slowly -- glucose levels are changing in your body. Plus the CGM stores all your data for later analysis on your computer or online with company-specific data-management software.

Every system approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whether integrated with an insulin pump or independent, includes a:

• Glucose sensor: It's placed under your skin and contains an electrode that creates a small current to detect changes in your glucose levels, which are measured and read from the interstitial fluid between the tissue cells rather than your blood.
• Transmitter: This snaps onto the sensor to send the results to the receiver.
• Receiver: This pulls information from the transmitter and shows you the results. It can be a handheld device, an insulin pump, or the shell of a pump.
• Software: Computer programs can analyze readings and track trends. Around-the-clock phone and Internet support is also available.