Abbott’s new diabetes glucose monitor It’s so little I forgot to wear it.

My Type 1 diabetes has been ongoing for 25 years now. Like the tens of millions of other Americans who have diabetes, keeping my blood sugar within a safe range is crucial to maintaining my health.

Diabetics now have the ability to check their blood sugar levels around the clock with the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). They are quite helpful because they show you how your blood sugar changes in response to insulin, meals, and exercise.

Top companies in the CGM market include Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom, and the industry is predicted to grow from $5.1 billion in revenue in 2021 to $13.2 billion by 2028, as reported by Vantage Market Research. With 4 million customers worldwide, Abbott’s CGM systems, known as FreeStyle Libre, produced $3.7 billion in revenue last year.

The FreeStyle Libre 3 is Abbott’s latest continuous glucose monitor. One significant improvement is included. The new method provides data directly to your phone, eliminating the need to physically keep your reader or phone near the sensor as was necessary with the older “flash” CGM devices.

A little over a month ago, I gave it a shot. What I’ve learned is as follows:

This is how it operates
The insertion tool is rather small and comes in a compact packaging. The FDA has only cleared arm insertion of the Libre 3. In addition to being painless to enter, the sensor is also significantly smaller than previous models I’ve used.

Erin Black of CNBC puts the new CGM Abbott Freestyle Libre 3 through its paces.

Erin Black, CNBC

A scan of the sensor is needed for the app, and it takes around 60 minutes to get up to temperature. A blood drop icon will show up for the first twelve hours.

The Abbott Freestyle Libre 3 iPhone application

Andrew Evers | CNBC

Abbott claims that the sensor is settling in. It also suggests verifying the sensor’s accuracy with a blood glucose metre. Upon first use, I discovered that it was spot on, and it just got better as it warmed up.

A New Generation of Abbott’s Freestyle Glucose Monitors

Source: CNBC | Erin Black

The sensor has a 14-day battery life. When compared to the Dexcom G6, which only updates its readings once every five minutes, this one does it every minute. After two weeks, there was still no evidence of the glue failing. Still, neither calibration nor sticking a finger in it are needed.

Sensor compatible with the Abbott Freestyle Libre 3

Andrew Evers | CNBC

If your glucose is stable, increasing, or decreasing, you can see this reflected in the direction of the arrows. You can set the alarms to go off whenever you like. Use the app’s “do not disturb” feature to temporarily disable all notifications, both low and high. The FDA-mandated urgent low alarm is inoperable.

The software allows you to keep tabs on your typical blood sugar levels and the amount of time you spend inside a healthy range, and it even lets you share that information with your loved ones. It also provides information that might help you see trends and alter your dosage accordingly.

Tiny and precise, the Libre 3 is ideal for target practise.
I really appreciate how compact it is; in fact, there were multiple occasions when I forgot I was even wearing it. So that I could make comparisons, I set up my Dexcom G6 nearby. The two are really different.

The size of Abbott’s Freestyle Libre 3 against that of Dexcom’s G6 glucose monitor.

Source: CNBC | Erin Black

On average, it provided correct results. However, I saw that it became incorrect and struggled to keep up during times of fast change, such as when I neglected to take my insulin after a meal.

With the initial sensor, I did have two compression lows. When the sensor reports an inaccurately low value, this is known as a compression low. Both times the sensor went off, I was either sleeping on my side or sitting on the couch and leaning on it. In a matter of seconds after I made my adjustments, the gadget was back to normal. I deliberated over where to put the second sensor until I found an optimal spot.

However, the app is not perfect.
Unfortunately, the programme does not allow users to adjust the graph size. A spread from 50 to 350 mg/dL is displayed. Since my blood sugar levels rarely go over 250 mg/dl, I’d like to be able to alter that to be a little tighter.

Additionally, there is no way to expand on previous chapters. If I’m really struggling, it’s helpful to be able to zoom in and see how the value is shifting in real time. Even if it’s able to send alerts to my iWatch, you can’t check your blood sugar levels with the help of an app developed by Abbott. Abbott claims they are planning for this in the near future.

Alert on your Apple iWatch for the Abbott Freestyle Libre 3.

Source: CNBC | Erin Black

Price and availability dependent on prescription.
Because the Libre 3 calls for a prescription, its price will vary depending on the individual customer. According to Abbott, the price per sensor with insurance is between zero and twenty-five dollars, while the price without insurance is seventy dollars. A monthly purchase of two is required.

How likely is it that I’d suggest this to a diabetic friend or family member? In some cases, yes; in others, no. Unfortunately, the Libre 3 isn’t yet compatible with insulin pumps, which is how I manage my diabetes. Abbott has stated that it is working on integrating its pump with Tandem Diabetes and Insulet. Moreover, the firm is collaborating with Bigfoot Biomedical to incorporate the latter’s insulin delivery technology into its own operations.

This method of monitoring blood sugar is ideal for diabetics who use diet or manual insulin injections to control their condition.

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