What is continuous glucose monitoring (CGMs)?
People with type 1 diabetes can check their blood sugar (glucose) levels at any time by using a continuous glucose monitor, a small device. In addition to sending an alert if the glucose level is too high or low, it enables diabetics to monitor patterns and trends in their levels.
What is a continuous glucose monitor?
It can be worn just beneath the skin. The CGM measures the amount of glucose in the fluid (interstitial fluid) that surrounds the body cells rather than the blood glucose levels. The CGM result isn’t always precisely the same as a finger prick result because there is a slight delay when the fluid is checked.
What kinds of continuous glucose monitors are there?
CGMs come in two varieties:
- Real-time: You can download the results and check your blood sugar levels at any time.
- Flash Monitor: results can be downloaded at a later time, but blood sugar levels cannot be seen in real time.
How does continuous glucose monitoring work?
There are three parts to a CGM. A sensor sits underneath the skin and measures the sugar levels. There is a transmitter that is attached to the sensor, which sends the levels to the display on the device. The third part of the CGM is the display device that shows the sugar levels and is usually a separate handheld device or a pump.
CGM also comes with software so that the patient can analyse their results and monitor patterns in their levels. The device is worn for up to seven days and then needs to be replaced and the new sensor is reattached to the transmitter.