The end of 2019 marked the release of what seems to be a revolutionary advancement in continuous glucose monitoring for individuals with Diabetes. Dexcom, a company that specializes in manufacturing and developing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for diabetes management, just released its latest Dexcom G6 CGM.
So, what’s the big deal? Until now, every method of glucose monitoring involved people having to stick their finger with a needle to extract blood, which is used to measure one’s blood to glucose ratio. Every CGM currently on the market requires continuous calibrations (vary per company) that are bound by the FDA, as no company has received approval from the FDA to issue a CGM that does not require calibrations; until the Dexcom G6. If you’ve ever spoken to a diabetic, you would be told that pricking your finger and squeezing for blood is one of the most irritating parts of their daily routine. These finger pricks have been shown to cause long term nerve damage, with older diabetic patients losing feeling in their fingertips.
This news seems to be great, but is there anything to be cautious about? No company has received approval for a CGM that does not require calibration due to accuracy concerns. A slight misread of a diabetic’s blood sugar may not seem significant in the short term, but it can have pressing effects on their A1C levels. Slight misreads are not the only concern; CGM products have shown to be awfully inaccurate, which in turn could prove to be very dangerous for users of the products. This is why calibration is always encouraged and required for the majority of the products on the market, but not the Dexcom G6. If anyone has had any experiences using the G6 and would like to share, we would love to hear your thoughts on its accuracy and how it’s affected your daily routine as a diabetic.