Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia

'Artificial Pancreas' May Be Of Help To Diabetics

by Tanya Thomas on Jun 4 2009 11:01 AM

An 'artificial pancreas' developed by British scientists hopes that the revolutionary insulin pump can mimic the human pancreas as designed.

'Paradigm Veo' automatically stops the flow of insulin to the body if blood sugar levels fall too low.

It is designed to help prevent hypoglycaemic attacks - commonly known as "hypos" - which can leave diabetics in a coma and can kill.

"This latest technology is a significant breakthrough which will help people with diabetes to control their condition," Sky News quoted Peter Hammond, a consultant diabetologist at Harrogate District Hospital, as saying.

"Paradigm Veo alerts the patient if their glucose levels drop too low, and stops them getting more insulin if they don't respond to the alert.

"This will have a huge impact on the patient's quality of life, giving them greater flexibility and reducing anxiety, and protecting them against the long-term health complications of diabetes," he added.

Manufacturer Medtronic said diabetics in the UK and Ireland will be the first in the world to use a new technology, which combines an insulin pump with continuous blood sugar monitoring.

Advertisement
Source-ANI
TAN


Advertisement