Questions about Medtronic 640G Closed Loop Insulin Pump

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Amity Island

Amity Island

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi Everyone,

Would anybody be able to answer a few questions about the closed loop system (670G)? I'm still contemplating an insulin pump, particularly the closed loop system. So these are my main questions.

Is it really all it says it is? I get the impression from advertising that it basically runs itself? No need to do anything, just plug and play, so to speak. The point for me is that, like many diabetics, proteins and fats have a huge impact on delivery, timings and quantity of insulin (although leading experts in the field have been saying for decades that protein and fats greatly effect diabetics blood glucose, the DAFNE course ignores them).

I'm hoping the 670G will sort these basal peeks and troughs caused by eating pizza for example, will these be smoothed out by a closed loop system?

Can you still have a hypo on a closed loop system? If you bolus, would the basal switching itself off be sufficient to prevent a hypo?

The 640G looks really simple with just a few buttons, but from experience, with any technology, the fewer the buttons, the greater the number of clicks to get to where you want and what you want from a device. I mean, is it like trying to type a letter using 26 letters of the alphabet etc using only 4 keys??

Thanks
 
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I have the 640G, also using the Guardian £ sensors...

The 640G, isn't a closed system it will only stop/start basal insulin delivery if it detects an hypo, and you need to put in the parameters for it to work on,

I think you mean the 670G which was lunched in the UK October, which is as near as a closed loop as you can get, it's not fully automatic as it will only go into the Auto mode, where it will deliver insulin to correct high and suspend to correct a low, but it will only allow you to go into Auto when the software that oversee's the Auto, believes the sensor is correctly working. You replace the sensor every 7 days, then you've got to wait for the pump to say, you can turn on automode. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you have to still manually deliver a bolus for food,

But as I said, I use the 640G with the Guardian 3 sensors (same sensor that's used for the 670G) I've only been using the sensor for around a month, so not set the auto suspend mode yet. But the information the sensors provide is amazing, I've tried the Libre in the past, and found these to so flaky that I couldn't even get a trend from them. But find that most times the Guardian 3 sensor to be out by a fraction of a mmol/l on a rare occasion they can drift a little bit more, but they always give a good indicator where you're at. And it's been a surprise to how food reacts, some foods differently than I thought. But this extra information has given me more ability to set the basal profies and re-do my thoughts on how to deliver my bolus's for better control.
 
Ellie Jones said:
I have the 640G, also using the Guardian £ sensors...

The 640G, isn't a closed system it will only stop/start basal insulin delivery if it detects an hypo, and you need to put in the parameters for it to work on,

I think you mean the 670G which was lunched in the UK October, which is as near as a closed loop as you can get, it's not fully automatic as it will only go into the Auto mode, where it will deliver insulin to correct high and suspend to correct a low, but it will only allow you to go into Auto when the software that oversee's the Auto, believes the sensor is correctly working. You replace the sensor every 7 days, then you've got to wait for the pump to say, you can turn on automode. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you have to still manually deliver a bolus for food,

But as I said, I use the 640G with the Guardian 3 sensors (same sensor that's used for the 670G) I've only been using the sensor for around a month, so not set the auto suspend mode yet. But the information the sensors provide is amazing, I've tried the Libre in the past, and found these to so flaky that I couldn't even get a trend from them. But find that most times the Guardian 3 sensor to be out by a fraction of a mmol/l on a rare occasion they can drift a little bit more, but they always give a good indicator where you're at. And it's been a surprise to how food reacts, some foods differently than I thought. But this extra information has given me more ability to set the basal profies and re-do my thoughts on how to deliver my bolus's for better control.
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Thanks very much for your reply, I appreciate it.
You're quite right, it is the 670G I am asking the questions about, I got the number wrong, I've no knowledge of insulin pumps 🙂. Is moving onto the 670G something available to you? What are the requirements for getting the 670G as opposed to another insulin pump? Is the 670G something you would also like to try?
 
I think the 670 is only been given out to people who really need it. The NHS very rarely pay for the sensors. They will only pay for them if they are really needed.
 
My clinic won't fund it due to the sensor's, I self-fund my sensors, even though my clinic gave confirmation to Medtronic (they won't sell sensor's to you, unless your diabetic team say they happy for you to use them) but I don't get support from my clinic concerning the sensors, I'd think that most clinic's would be very reluctant to even come to a agreement, they fund the pump & consumables and you pay for Sensor's, As what would happen if your circumstances changed, and you couldn't afford the sensors
 
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