Dexcom g7 FAIL

I just had 2 dexcom g7 sensors in a row fail at warm-up. Turns out neither had the wire that goes in! Oddly, they did not want them returned for inspection. Now I’ll be checking each one prior to insertion.

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Could you post the lot and serial number?

Of course. Both lot 1825059008.

The one I have on now is same lot. No issues so far, but it’s only been a few hours.

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Thanks I see I’m not alone in dating my sensor flaps. I do on the back side using pencil or ballpoint

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Disposable medical devices are returned to the mfr far less often than reusables, especially if the mfr is already aware of the failure mode.

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This just happened to me as well- 2 sensors that failed in warm up in a row, and also a third that failed a few hours after insertion. It’s very disappointing to me because it’s only recently that I have started having any issues with Dexcom. Both G6s and G7s had worked very well for me in the past.

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Did you look and see if the wire was in the hole. That is where most of my failures happen. This reminds me I need to request a replacement :disappointed_face:.

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@jim26 I didn’t look there. Next time I will. Thank you for pointing that out.

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had that happen too. very annoying.

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It’s called “goosenecking” - if you google it, you’ll find this has happened to a LOT of people over the past year. I think they know it’s an issue because they stopped asking me to send them back too.

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I googled it, and this is what I got.

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I believe it’s impossible to see before the insertion, but that may not be true. It was reported maybe 2 years ago by someone on either FUD or TuD and, at that time, Dexcom basically put her on a performance improvement plan. In that case, IRC, there was a shot of the sensor wire sticking outside the steel U-channel of the inserter.

It started happening to me a couple of 9-months ago, sorry @CarlosLuis , I did not get the lot number; Dexcom were replacing them automatically at that point. The lot was consistent with the time of the FDA issue of the notices with regard to manufacturing controls. Also consistent with 250201, the manufacture date.

The gooseneck (google “gooseneck shape”) can be seen immediately after insertion if you are a contortionist; a friend or a mirror helps. For a while last year I was cellphotographing the U-channel of every sensor before insertion to see if I could catch one with the sensor wire hanging out of the U-channel. I didn’t manage to catch one; as rare, maybe, and certainly as difficult to harvest as a gooseneck barnacle.

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True, @jbowler. Not sure what I was thinking there! :woman_facepalming:

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Happened to me while on vacation in Spain. Two failures. Thank goodness I brought three with me and the third one worked. Had no problem getting new sensors. A few moths earlier had a failure and the tech acted like replacement coming out of his own pocket. Not a fan of G7. Never had so many problems with G6. Compression lows even with cover that I bought.

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I never had the “gooseneck” problem since starting the G7, until this last month, in which I’ve had 3.

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Ugh that is SO frustrating. Were your sensors manufactured awhile ago? I had a lot of goosenecks last summer/fall but haven’t had any since then (knock on wood). I think Dexcom was aware of the problem and fixed it at some point - I’ve heard less about it recently than I did last year.

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I’ve used Dexcom for years, and now have used G7 since it came out. This “goosenecking” has become a huge problem. I never know when it will happen. Some insertions are fine. Some insertions will have the problem then a critical fail. The biggest issue is traveling as now I have to take a bunch of sensors with me. Dexcom always replaces failed sensors, but in my opinion, they have not solved this issue or seem to care. It has happened now on different lots. I do the same insertion technique, same spots for insertion, etc. It’s just so random. It happens or it doesn’t.

Does anyone have a quick fix that has helped? I may have to look for another CGM which is too bad as I’ve been using Dexcom since they released their first product.

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@drrps3 I don’t think there is a fix that even a skilled user could implement. As I understand it, the needle in the applicator used for insertion of the wire fails to “let go” of the wire when the needle is extracted so it withdraws the wire with with the needle. Unless we’re interested in poking another needle to the “right” depth and somehow pushing the wire with whatever needle we choose, I don’t think it would work well. And of course we’d have the issue of potential infection from whatever was used. I think Dexcom addressed the issue in the manufacturing process that caused the problem, though I’ve no doubt there are lingering supply chain boxes of affected sensors and there’s nothing that prevents another issue developing that looks similar.

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From what I’ve seen online, the complaints have really quieted down since last year. I wonder if you are getting old batches.

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