From insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring to the artificial pancreas

Technology for diabetes care has undergone major development during recent decades. These technological advances include continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), also known as insulin pumps, and real-time continuous glucose monitoring system (RT-CGMS). The integration of CSII and RT-CGMS into a single device has led to sensor-augmented pump therapy and more recently, a technology that has automated delivery of basal insulin therapy, known as hybrid system. These new technologies have led to benefits in attaining better metabolic control and decreasing the incidence of severe hypoglycemia, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes. This review describes the types of technologies currently available or under investigation for these purposes, their benefits and disadvantages, recommendations and the appropriate patient selection for their use. The clinical use of the hybrid system and artificial pancreas seem to be possible in the near future.