Sympathetic CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) System

     A company in Philadelphia (Echo Therapeutics) is currently developing a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor. This will remove the need to prick oneself to determine glucose levels. The system uses a trans-dermal sensor that is placed close enough to the blood vessels so that it is capable of reading the glucose levels while still outside of the skin. The area of skin is prepped by a device, basically a smart razor, that shaves off the top layer of dead skin. The razor senses hydration levels in the skin and cuts until it reaches a level of about 80% hydration which is where the "live skin layer" is. The sensor is then placed on the prepped area and after an initial warming up phase it begins wireless transmitting data on glucose levels. There are built in alarms and on screen outputs so that the patient may monitor their levels and be alarmed if the glucose moves out of a programmed range.
     This article interested me because our device design team ran into the problem of monitoring glutamate levels in the blood, which we had ultimately decided to just use a device similar to the finger prick used by diabetics. This device on the other hand would be more appeasing to patients because it would remove the need to stab yourself every time you needed to check your levels. Which also removes the risks involved with constantly using a needle such as infection, inflammation, or bleeding and in general most people would prefer to not have the pinch of being pricked all the time. The device also continuously monitors the glucose levels in the body with real time feedback so the patient would know immediately any time of day or night when their glucose levels fell out of the desired range, rather than only knowing when they check it. The article also goes on to mention other medical uses for the device that do not pertain to just diabetics. Such as in surgeries where a patients glucose levels can also spike. With medical facilities are moving more and more towards non-invasive technology and procedures, this device is just the next step.




This is the link to the company's page with the product description:
http://www.echotx.com/symphony-cgm-system.shtml

This is the article that discusses the product and goes into the pros and cons:
http://asweetlife.org/feature/a-non-invasive-cgm-explained-echo-therapeutics-symphony/

This article discusses the skin prep device:
http://www.imedicalapps.com/2012/01/echo-therapeutics-announces-positive-clinical-trial-results-symphony-transdermal-cgm-system/