Q for CGMers not in the US, anyone using dexcom G4?

If your child (or you) are using it, what do you think? We had a CDE absolutely rave about it at our last visit. She thinks it'll be approved in the US sometime this fall (or was told as much by the CEO of the manufacturer.) I don't know how realistic that is since dd just enrolled in a study of the G4 in kids, but I am curious about your experience, success, thoughts, etc.?

 

we are switching to g4 in September as soon as it hits the market in continental Europe. We are in Canada but have been ordering our dex supplies from Europe as its not avail. here yet. I had a chance to see the new one - the transmitter / sensor parts are thinner but look more sturdy. Their range is twice as far too. the receiver part is much more sophisticated too with custom set alarms and so on. the old dex looks and feels like a real dinosaur in comparison... can't wait to compare the performance. if its just as good as the old dex I will be very happy - the trending arrows have been invaluble to us.

 

We are on the waiting list trial Animas Vibe when it arrives in NZ. They say end of August but we won't hold them to that...

 

Kirsten,
I have to say that just because your daughter is just enrolled in a study means that Dexcom is going for pediatric use.
Wendy

 

Are there new sensors? or just a new transmitter?

 

Wendy, the informed consent we received states the study is part of the request for FDA approval for pediatrics, so I'm fairly confident they are going for peds, at least eventually.

kiwikid - both a new sensor and new transmitter

I asked for two reasons, one I've heard conflicting info on whether it was approved and in use in Europe, or approved and soon to be available. Second, if people were using it, dd was hoping to hear some info before starting the study next week. Totally her choice, and I think she's nervous. She hasn't done anything like this before.

Of course, after seeing it in use by the CDE, I am really interested in other opinions. We've had a terrible time with Medtronic, and while I realize that varies from person to person, I think we're done with their CGM (even though she and I both lover her mm pump.) What we choose to do next will depend largely on when this might be available here, and whether it meets the hype, so to speak.

 

It is in use in the UK but only as part of the Vibe pump. But there are very few reviews if you Google for them. This is one I have found http://clickofthelight.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dexcom-g4-trial.html
It has been confirmed that the Gen 4 Transmitter only has a 6 month life.. the battery won't last longer and the receiver is hideously ugly! (like its pretending to be an Ipod ).
http://www.diabetesmine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-1.jpg

 

Kind of off topic, but how do you get your kiddo into trials on products? Not that I'd like my son on a bunch of trials, but I would have loved to trial the new Dexcom.

Just wondering how you get started on something like that.

 

Dexcom G4

I'm in the UK and have been using the new Dexcom G4 for the last week - and the Seven Plus before this.

Absolutely fantastic technology - it does seem consistently more accurate than the Seven Plus - which was pretty amazing anyway. Longer range, about 20ft.

The receiver is really lovely - much more compact - it does look just like an iPod. If Apple had designed a CGM this would be it - the menu is very easy to navigate, and the alarms more customisable.

New software with it - Dexcom Studio - has some artificial intelligence built into it to advise on high/low patterns that need correcting.

I'm a physician myself with Type 1 - I'm really convinced that this technology has the potential to change the management of Type 1 diabetes considerably - it allows much tighter control without the worry of hypos. And it's a great educational control for optimising diet, exercise and bolus calculations.

Ian

 

Can you tell me more about the customizable alarms? Does it have any other new features? Can you now scroll back through and see prior numbers? Does the transmitter store any data when you are out of range like the MM does?

Any info you can give would be great.

 

The main alarms are the high and low settings - plus two additional alarms for the rate of rise or fall to alert you to rapid changes.

All of these can be set individually or turned off - and there's a safety hypo alert which can't be turned off at all.

There are also vibrate and loudness controls - and snooze options for the high and low alerts.

There is an out of range alarm, but if the receiver has missed a transmission there's a gap in the graph - the range is pretty good though - for practical purposes as long as the receiver is in the same room it seems to work fine. I think this is a trade off for longer battery life in the transmitter.

You can scroll back to see the 3, 6 , 12 and 24 hour profiles - the trend display is excellent - it's very easy to see what the BG was at any given time.

Best wishes,

Ian

 

I really wish they would incorporate some of the Medtronic features. It would make choosing between the two so much easier.

Well, it will be interesting to see when it comes out over here! Thanks for the information!

 

I sure don't, because then MM would sue them and put them out of business

 

Can the low alert be set above 100?

 

Only if they steal the actual process. The features themselves are not patentable.

 

Does the G4 not have an alarm when it gets the ???

This is the thing I really dislike about the Dexcom. Honestly everything else is pretty good with it. It certainly is about 10x easier to use than the Navigator was.

However I HATE that it can have ??? for hours or the entire night and I don't know it until I get up in the morning and see that it never was reading him. It's uncommon but still happens.

 

Personally, I see it as a real safety issue and if the G4 doesn't have the feature then someone should take it to the FDA. It just CAN'T be that hard and they HAVE to know people want it.

 

Ian, thank you so much for your feedback. I noticed in your second response that you said it has an out of range alarm. Does it still show ??? for out of range periods, or just the gap in the graph. Also, like Hawkeyegirl asked, does the transmitter itself store any data while the receiver and transmitter are out of communication for any period of time? I don't mind a gap in the graph, we got those when she was wearing medtronic, but it was helpful during swimming for her to check in and know data was being transmitted to the receiver in her pump provided she hadn't been out of range for too long.

While I completely realize pricing in the U.S. will be, well - typical for the U.S., I was wondering about the cost difference between G4 and the Seven Plus. Was it vastly more expensive?

Again, thank you so much for sharing your insight and experience. It's much appreciated.

 

new everything. we can't use old sensors with new transmitter/receiver

 

Any feedback from the G4 users as to whether the ??? now alarms to let you know it isn't reading?