Diabetes Technology Blog

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Abbott FreeStyle Navigator is approved

Today Abbott reported that the FDA has (finally) approved the FreeStyle Navigator continuous glucose monitor(CGM) for sale in the US.

This is one of the most anticipated CGM devices. Many people I've spoken with have expected that this CGM will solve all the shortcomings of the Dexcom and Minimed devices. I've also talked with several people who have been using the Navigator. My take is that this is no more perfect that the existing CGM alternatives.
Picture of Navigator receiver and transmitter

Picture of Navigator receiver and transmitter

Abbott, who even has a special site for the Navigator, says that it will be available in the second quarter of 2008. Like all CGMs you will need a prescription to get hold of one.

A few interesting aspects of the Navigator:

Five-day sensor.
Five direction arrows to indicate rising or falling blood sugar
The receiver has a built-in FreeStyle meter.
Designed to 'accomodate' swimming. Does that mean the receiver is waterproof?
The receiver can be up to 10 feet from the transmitter

You can see a short movie illustrating how the system works. It's available on the Abbott site.

Picture illustrating sensor inserted at back of arm

One part of this animation shows the sensor being worn on the back of the arm. That's a very different location that is currently recommended for CGM sensors.

I'll post more news about the FreeStyle Navigator as I learn about it.

Update: My understanding is that the built-in FreeStyle meter is used to calibrate the Navigator. I do not think they support manual input of the values. I'll try to confirm this and update the page when I learn more.

Labels: Abbott, CGM, FreeStyle Navigator

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Abbott issues warning about dropped glucose meters

Yesterday Abbott issued a warning for users of Precision Xtra, Optium, and other blood glucose meters. Apparently if the meters are dropped on a hard surface parts of the display may not work properly. They say the lot number or date information may not display correctly.

But I assume this also means that an 8 might display like a 7 or another number. If only some of the segments are wired properly then you could still think it's working when it's actually displaying false values.

So if you drop your meter, use the display check function to ensure the display is fully connected. On the Precision Xtra the display check is done each time you switch on the meter. It should look like the picture on the left.

If you see any part of the display is missing, then my suggestion is to contact Abbott at the number on the back of your meter.

Labels: Abbott, meter, warning