Basal-IQ

Understanding Diabetes Technology at Scale

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OVERVIEW

Understanding Basal-IQ Technology: Basal-IQ reduces or prevents critically low blood glucose known as hypoglycemia. 

Severe hypoglycemia can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, burdening both patients and the healthcare system. Each year in the United States, hypoglycemia is responsible for over 100,000 emergency room visits, approximately one-third of which result in hospitalization. Basal-IQ monitors blood glucose values to predict future estimated blood glucose levels and suspends insulin to prevent hypoglycemia.

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We worked with Tandem Diabetes to explore the real-world usage and impact of Basal-IQ technology on more than 8,000 people with diabetes.

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Results: We showed that Basal-IQ significantly lowers hypoglycemia across age groups, and the effect is persistent over multiple weeks of real-world use.

These results were surprisingly better than the clinical study. We observed a modest, counterintuitive increase in mean glucose and insulin delivery over time in select populations, which we speculate could be a product of system trust and a release in dietary discretion, perhaps driven by the reduced fear of hypoglycemia. 

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The study results indicate that Basal-IQ technology might be a viable option for an ambulatory insulin-dependent population. 

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Overall these data support the use of algorithm-enhanced automated insulin delivery systems to improve health outcomes in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes.

The publication in the Journal on Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics can be found here.