On Real-Time Estimates of Blood Glucose Levels
Response to Treviño
- Satish K. Garg, MD
- From the Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Director, Adult Program, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado
- Address correspondence to Satish K. Garg, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Director, Adult Program, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, 1775 North Ursula St., Room M 20-1323, Aurora, CO 80010. E-mail: satish.garg{at}uchsc.edu
In the comment from Treviño (1), three articles are cited as having “emphasized the need for real-time assessment of blood glucose levels.” Two of the cited articles (2,3) indeed relate to real-time assessment of blood glucose levels using new technology referred to as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The third article Treviño refers to, by Farmer et al. (4), relates to the use of traditional finger-stick blood analysis that is communicated to a nurse via telemedicine. We are engaged in the study of CGM, so further comments will be related only to continuous sensors (2,3) and not to telemedicine.
Treviño further states that “[r]eal-time analysis is motivated by the belief that the random time series being analyzed manifests average properties that change with the passage of time. Results of such analyses are presented to patients as means (μ) ± SD.” In regard to our study (2), this statement is completely false. We do not rely on averaged properties of time series data. Patients received actual glucose concentration values transmitted every 5 min. Under no circumstances were patients presented with the mean and SD of the data in real time.
Treviño further describes an equation for determining mean and SD and …
