Will Know Labs Succeed with Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring??
Ugh, why are they checking its accuracy by comparing it to a CGM instead of a meter?
Specifically, a 2018 study on the UBand device shows the accuracy is comparable to that of the FreeStyle Libre, with 180 differing paired glucose readings collected over the course of 3 hours being within the safe āgreen zoneā range of the Surveillance Error Grid (SEG), the standard tool for measuring clinical accuracy of blood glucose monitors.
That data showed 97 percent of UBandās readings being within 15 percent of those generated by the Libre, and 100 percent were within the 20 percent range.
Because it is easier/faster to collect the data.
This system sounds like it uses the same type technology that Apple and Samsung are attempting to develop and roll out on their watches. Both companies have delayed the implementation at least another year - suggesting possible problems with reliability, lag time, accuracy and/or irritation.
Since these problem are shared by all the CGM system, I suppose Know Labs thinks that a comparison to a FreeStyle Libre is good enough. Considering how optical heart rate monitor can give varied result and it a much simpler device, I would like to know if the test cadre uses diabetics from a wide range. All types, ages, activity levels, well you get the idea.
This paste from @CatLady ās link -
Know Labs is using a proprietary application of Bio-RFID technology that emits radio waves onto the skin. It captures glucose readings and other molecule signatures in the blood using spectroscopy.
I didnāt research further into Know Labs use of spectroscopy, but it likely Raman spectroscopy same as Apple and Samsung.
Any way we will have to wait and see. There have been numerous failed attempts at non-invasive blood glucose measuring from contacts, to wristbands and patches. So far, the best for continuous BG measuring has been the CGMs, and they have their faults. I canāt get a Dexcom G6 sensor to last 10 days without getting wonky around day 7 on, and I wouldnāt give it up, but I am up to beta test this band.
Lately itās really been getting to Samson that we have to attach a sensor that operates like a staple gun to him every 6 to 7 days, so I keep crossing my fingers that an Apple Watch will roll something like this out eventually.
I think ultimately, even if itās buggy and not super accurate, it can be rolled out to the āworried wellā and the āhealth optimizerā types and maybe after several iterations and chances to work out the kinks, it will be fit for use for T1Ds and insulin-dependent T2Ds. Just thinking about how early fitness trackers were really bad at tracking sleep, and now theyāre only modestly bad at tracking sleep
I like the āsemi-invasiveā G6. Yep, the applicatorās a staple gun, yet once stapled in place it it survives both wardrobe and water; Iāve never had one fail because of either.
As for the marketing from KNWN. Whatever. Itās marketing; think Holmes, donāt pay until the meal is on the table.
I think for those who donāt find it super super painful, the staple gun aspect can be good. But for him, itās extremely painful, sometimes for hours, after insertion. Thereās also typically a lot of blood when he inserts it. So now the sound and the feeling are associated with so much pain he is very very anxious.
Hereās hoping the G7 offers a quieter, more comfortable insertion.
I find that a taking a deep breath and letting it out quickly helps me relax before I insert a device. Maybe that would help Samson?
He does that, yep! we also try to do a āshallow insertionā --so basically we put the sticker on and then pull up on the inserter so itās not flush with the skin and then the actual electrode doesnāt get inserted perpendicular to the skin, but at a more acute angle and does not go as deep. We have less bleeding that way.
We also use lidocaine cream because it does seem to take the edge off the pain. But he still has plenty of insertions that hurt a ton despite all those steps.
I usually insert my G6 on the back of my upper arm but sometimes get a not-so-great placement that can be quite uncomfortable, on one occasion to the extent that I had to remove it. I think itās partly related to how little fat I have thereāwhen I place my cgm on my belly, Iāve never had an issue with discomfort. I donāt know where youāre placing the cgm on your son, but perhaps a spot with a little more fat than less would help?
Do you push up Samsonās skin at the insert site, like with the pump? We do this with Liam and he said itās much better than the G5. He said it does hurt sometimes but itās really fast for him and passes. He really likes the super fast insert and i also play distract games with him sometimes. I hope Samson and you guys finds some reprieve soon. Liam still experiences pain with PODs but less off heās allowed to be on control (holde up the skin himself at insert site).
I think pushing up is similar in concept to the shallow insertion: making sure it doesnāt go too deep. Weāve tried pushing up and it doesnt work as well as physically lifting the inserter off his skinā¦but maybe I can try both. It might be a little tricky to arrange.
Yes, I would love to try a different spot, but because of the pain, he sort of manages it by being very particular about where his sites and sensors go, and is very insistent on not changing the location. Weāre using his tummy, which doesnāt have much fat. Iām not sure he has a lot of fat in general though.
Yeah with young kids like ours their skin is already so soft and thin and they have such little fat reserves and small bodies that itās tough to move around all over. There arenāt an overwhelming amount of locations when the real estate is small. For Liam itās always been alternating between his left and right bicep/tricep area.