What if your grandfather could manage his diabetes without cumbersome test strips and confusing information? What if a 7-year-old with diabetes didn’t have to deal with the stress or fear that comes with every prick of the finger? These are the hurdles currently being crossed by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology, and the problems ADI is solving by embedding breakthrough technology in CGM devices.
The CGM is a mobile device for diabetics that inserts a miniature sensor under the skin to test blood glucose levels around the clock. It is a better solution for fast and accurate diabetes monitoring, with real-time information available to both diabetics and their doctors without many of the barriers associated with traditional testing methods.
However, this is not a perfect solution – at least not yet. the main obstacle to CGM technology solutions has always been the combination of size, weight and power (SWaP). After all, the CGM is a portable vital signs monitoring (VSM) device that is typically worn on the arm or stomach of a diabetic patient. However, because it needs to stay powered in order to collect data, it is difficult to design for a size that works properly and does not interfere with the wearer.
As a leader in digital health solutions, especially in wearable technology and chronic disease management, ADI has the expertise to meet this SWaP challenge. We have been working hard to help CGM technology manufacturers (especially China Meiqi) to develop smaller and smarter devices. Ultimately, we have succeeded in developing new technologies that help enable a new generation of VSM technology that is convenient and less intrusive.
As digital healthcare moves closer to the forefront of the international healthcare conversation, the demand for VSM technology has increased dramatically. The global demand for digital health innovations is now at an unprecedented level, especially technologies that can keep people healthy and out of the hospital. In this sense, stand-alone monitoring systems that can send information directly to doctors and to the cloud also contribute in an indirect way to public health and universality.
Advances in the field of VSM are critical for groups such as people with diabetes and healthcare professionals. With the widespread use of VSM technology, patients with diabetes can achieve accuracy and active data collection that is unattainable with fingertip blood testing methods. What if your grandfather had the tools he needed to prevent complications such as blood vessel damage, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, and could have information about his diabetes in advance? Or what if instead of the dreaded needle stick, a 7-year-old girl could wear a cool little computer on her arm to monitor her health? We believe there are many similar cases of people living happier, healthier lives. The increase in data allows patients to proactively manage their own health, thereby reducing the burden on the healthcare system by reducing the number of hospitalizations and the need for emergency treatment.
In the end, ADI’s motivation for improving CGM technology is the same motivation for all of our pursuits: the constant search for breakthroughs to make life better. As one of the contacts at Meche stated, “The collaboration with ADI, ADI’s system-level understanding and domain expertise have been outstanding. They have proven to be more than just a component company.”