New tech may help diabetic women from miscarrying

The artificial pancreas can help both children and adults.

With help from science, an artificial organ may be the difference between life and death for thousands of babies around the world.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to the JDRF website, an artificial pancreas (AP) can help automate blood-sugar management to help reduce medical risks related to type 1 diabetes (T1D).

One of the most dangerous risks pregnant women with T1D encounter is a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The CDC reported miscarriages and stillbirths can occur when a pregnant woman with diabetes is not carefully monitored and her blood sugar levels are not carefully controlled.

Now, with help from technology, an AP can manage blood sugars and result in successful pregnancies.

The number of heartbreaking stillbirths and miscarriages can decrease dramatically and healthy babies can come into the world.

According to the Endocrinology Advisor, Dr. Courtney Lias, PhD, explained: "The FDA feels very strongly that automated insulin delivery device systems will provide people with diabetes significant benefits.

"The FDA's efforts include prioritizing the review of research protocol studies, providing clear guidelines to industry, setting performance and safety standards, fostering discussions between government and private researchers, sponsoring public forums, and finding ways to shorten study and review time."

Once approved, Dr. Lias believes the APs can help children and adults alike control their blood sugar levels.

"Most of these devices will be intended to be used in children as well as adults, and the studies to support approval would typically be done in both populations. One message cor endocrinologists to know would be that the FDA has been working with the sponsors to incorporate appropriate safety mitigations into the studies based on the device and its features.

"In addition, the health care community will need to engage with FDA and industry to develop new understanding of how to train patients in optimal use of these new systems."

Once the devices are FDA approved, women around the world can live healthier lives with fewer fears during pregnancy.

Parents can also rest easy knowing their children are benefiting from the APs, which will automatically control the child's blood sugar levels.

Illinois Tech researcher Ali Cinar believes the AP will be successful in caring for people who would otherwise be unable to live normally.

"If you talk to families with kids with Type 1 diabetes [it's] almost a case where one of the parents is on life watch and they check every other hour or so to be sure there isn't anything that would be dangerous to that child's health," she told Chicago Inno.

Once the AP is approved, parents need not worry any longer.

"We can see how well we can use those signals to determine their level of activity, without it being a prescribed activity that we control," Nicole Frantz, another researcher at Illinois Tech, explained.

Cinar added, "What we're trying to do is use a number of additional signals to be able to determine the current state of that person's body, in order to make far better decisions."

JDRF expects the AP systems to be available on the market as early as 2017. With any luck, their predictions will prove true.

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