Kunstpancreas voor geautomatiseerde glucoseregulatie

Strict glucose control is important for patients with diabetes mellitus in order to prevent complications. However, many patients find it difficult to achieve the recommended HbA1c level. The possibility of hypoglycaemia plays an important role in this. The artificial pancreas automates glucose control, improving glucose levels without increasing hypoglycaemic events. The required insulin dose is calculated and administered on the basis of continuous glucose measurements, taking over a large part of the treatment from the patient. Several research groups are working on making this technique suitable for home use. It is expected that the artificial pancreas will become available in the near future. However, effectiveness and safety will have to be investigated in long-term studies. A large number of insulin-dependent patients with diabetes could be eligible for this treatment.

Conflict of interest and financial support: disclosure forms provided by the authors are available along with the full text of this article at www.ntvg.nl; search for A6926, click on ‘Belangenverstrengeling’ (‘Conflict of interest’).