Technology & Innovation – Hybrid Closed Loop Systems
Hybrid Closed Loop
A hybrid closed-loop system allows a person living with type 1 to wear an insulin pump that integrates or ‘talks’ to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The system continuously monitors glucose levels and calculates the amount of insulin required. It then automatically adjusts the background, or basal insulin, based on a person’s glucose readings. Hybrid Closed Loop pumps can stop basal insulin if it predicts the person is going low or can correct high glucose levels by adjusting the basal insulin and giving a correction dose of insulin.
When wearing a hybrid closed loop system, you will still need to enter the grams of carbohydrate you are eating into the pump, before a meal, so that a correct calculation can be made by the pump. You will also need to tell the pump if you are going to exercise so this is taken into account and adjustments to insulin are made.