Medtronic gets FDA OK for remote diabetes monitor

Medtronic ($MDT) has announced the U.S. launch of its mySentry remote glucose monitor, which allows a parent to monitor a child's blood sugar from another room, after a regulatory sign-off from the FDA.

With mySentry, caregivers can see real-time insulin pump status and glucose trends, as well as hear alerts and alarms, at their bedside while a diabetes patient sleeps in his or her own room.

The monitor costs about $3,000 and works with the company's MiniMed Paradigm Real-Time Revel System. It also provides information on the insulin pump's battery life, as well as the amount of insulin remaining, Reuters notes.

"Many of the parents of our patients wake up a couple of times every night to check their child's blood sugar level and even that may not be enough to prevent episodes of severe hypoglycemia," said Dr. William Tamborlane, chief of pediatric endocrinology and deputy director of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, in a statement. "Advances in continuous glucose monitoring, including remote monitoring like mySentry, have given parents an added level of protection from dangerous nighttime hypoglycemia occurring in their sleeping child, as well as a means to improve their quality of life."

An estimated 75% of all episodes of severe hypoglycemia in children occur at night. By alerting a parent or caregiver with an alarm, mySentry may provide additional protection.

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