Virtual CGMS (and much more) - ManageBGL

[schmeezle]

Recently found an online diabetes management tool that will benefit so many people. Geared toward insulin dependent diabetics (caregivers and the like), it's a virtual cgms / pump and active insulin tracker.

In basic form, you setup a profile, enter your daily activities (bg's, carbs, insulin, exercise, dawn phenomena simulation, etc.) then, the tool outputs multiple charts and also tracks your Active Insulin.

The first chart is your BG curve or Virtual CGMS, driven by meter bg entries and ManageBGL connecting the dots based on inputs. A real bonus is the 3 hr ahead BG prediction. Lows are predicted and brought to your attention.

The next two charts show profiles for Insulin and Carbs, where you're provided curves based on insulin and carb entries - makes it easy to visualize insulin stacking and to see where insulin's power lies.

I encourage anyone with interest to give it a try. I've been testing this for a few weeks and like what I see. The best part is - updates are in the works.

http://www.managebgl.com/

Neat stuff!

~Brian

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Interesting Brian! I've never really been sure how pharma establishes insulin action/curve to be able to test my own. Getting a flat(ish) basal is hard enough, and without that being dead level I can't really work out how one would know what was what. How did you decide why info to plug in?

 

[robofski]

Pity it's not an offline app.

 

[schmeezle]

@rob - Agreed - with enough demand, I wouldn't rule it out..........it's early days.

@mike - Sorry which info?....... At the moment, the tool may be more big picture (trend) than basal tweak - however, it's very close to reality at times. For pumpers, the tool doesn't use basal inputs for bg plot. Try not to get hung up there.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I was just wondering how the app knew what the activity curve of the insulin was (to predict/plot stacking etc) and whether you knew a method to test that for yourself (ie how does Novo Nordisk establish that NovoRapid/NovoLog has an onset of x and a duration of y)

 

[trophywench]

THAT Mr Mike - is one of life's Big Mysteries that some of us have been Googling for, for years.

Trade secrets I reckon.

The only idea I've ever had was to invite Eli Lilly and Sven Novo-Nordisk to tea, then get em into a darkened room and tickle em until they let the cats out of the bags.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Actually after posting that TW, I checked the venerable Mr Walsh and his 'Pumping Insulin'.

It seems that the figures quoted by big pharma are based on the insulins 'kinetic' rather than 'dynamic' action. That is, they can measure the physical appearance of their insulin in the bloodstream, and when it has all gone (kinetic). The dynamic would be much more useful and relates to whether or not the insulin is acting to reduce BGs. This, as we know is far harder to measure. JW suggests a process, but it would be scuppered by a basal error etc

 

[bennyg70]

After seeing this post. I thought Id give it a try, I think its really fantastic as long as you get the right parametres in there int he first place. Ive used it for a few days and think its really promising. Ive E-mailed the creator Simon, a couple of times asking questions, Ive even made suggestions to him and hes implimented them as its stilla work in progress. I would recomend checking it out.

 

[ManageBGL]

Hi Mike,

Pharmaceuticals establish insulin action curves with lots of testing across a range of patients to build up a general profile, as it varies from patient to patient, and, like BGLs, even varies in one patient for different times of day, injection sites etc. Remember also that BGLs can be +/- 10% out, your carb counting may be inaccurate etc.

The important thing to remember is that you don't need to know exactly what the profile is to get very useful information out. ManageBGL uses similar (actually, more precise) calculations to an insulin pump to determine insulin stacking, with the difference being you can visually see the stacking and visually see how long the insulin action time is. The big picture delivered by ManageBGL delivers predictions generally less than 1-2 mmol out.

 

[ManageBGL]

Offline will definitely come - but we need some interest first.
For me, with a young (age 8) type 1 at school, the live sharing is the killer app.