Abstract

For continuous monitoring of glucose concentration in ambulant diabetic patients, a telemetry glucose monitoring system with a needle-type glucose sensor has been developed. The system consists of a sensor transmitter (4 × 6 × 2 cm, 50 g) that converts current signals generated in a needle-type glucose sensor to high-frequency audio signals and a receiver that continuously calculates glucose concentrations from the received audio signals. The noise range of a monitoring record with the telemetry system (0.3 ± 0.04%, mean ± SEM) was significantly smaller than that with a wire-connected system, the wearable artificial endocrine pancreas (2.5 ± 0.3%). Postprandial tissue glucose concentration responded well to the plasma glucose concentration, with a time lag of 5 min. Continuous glucose monitoring of five diabetic subjects for 77 ± 22 h revealed that a significant correlation existed between the subcutaneous tissue glucose concentration and the plasma glucose concentration measured simultaneously in each patient. These data indicate the usefulness of the telemetry glucose monitoring system in strict glycemic control of diabetic individuals.