April 26, 2010
Continuous Sensing
Question from Pueblo West, Colorado,, USA:
Our son participated in a Navigator CGM study a year ago an now wants to use the CGM integrated with his Paradigm pump. Although the insertion of the Medtronic sensor is different than insertion of the Navigator CGM, it is obviously similar enough that we can manage without recommended training (requires time and hassle of 100 mile travel to Denver). At this point, we only need to know best places to insert the CGM. Our son is 5 feet tall and weighs 85 pounds. He is thin and already inserts his pump canula in his buttocks. Literature with the CGM suggests buttocks, hips or stomach, but I don’t know which location is best for a relatively thin child. Can you offer guidelines or suggestions to help us determine best location?
Answer:
I do not think that this is something that you should do on your own. The best advice is to work with your diabetes team so that this new technology is incorporated correctly, that there are no risks and errors are minimized plus ongoing use of CGMS will be maximized. All current research suggests that only about 20% of people who start with CGMS continue to use it correctly and so there is potential for enormous costs and errors when done alone.
SB
