Continuous Glucose Monitoring
CURRENT METHODS MAY NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY
TLC Diagnostics has always been at the forefront of new developments in service and the science of healthcare. In treating your diabetic patients, glucose values based upon fingerstick measurements may not provide adequate information for appropriate treatment to be established. Moreover, it is estimated that today, approximately 57 million people have pre-diabetes. If detected at this stage, diabetes can be better managed, treated and at times, even prevented entirely.
A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) supplies the treating physician with a record of 288 glucose readings every 24 hours. TLC provides this service to your practice so you can compile and analyze comprehensive glycemic trend data in a logical, graphic format, thereby increasing the amount of information upon which you can base your clinical decisions.
CLINICAL INDICATIONS AND USES
Comprehensive data downloaded from TLC’s continuous glucose monitor can assist the treating physician in designing individualized diabetes treatment programs for each patient based on their detailed glycemic profiles. While all diabetic patients can benefit from CGM data, it is particularly valuable in:
• Pinpointing specific causes of suboptimal control such as undetected hypo- and hyperglycemia.
• Detecting elevated glycosylated hemoglobin or diabetic ketoacidosis.
• Recognizing gastroparesis and other unexplained blood glucose excursions
• Discovering and treating gestational diabetes—preconception, during pregnancy and/or while nursing.
• Evaluation of therapeutic changes to medication regimen or behavioral modifications affecting glycemic control.
Complete the Picture with TLC's continuous glucose monitors...
IDENTIFY GLYCEMIC EXCURSIONS
Evaluate when and how often your diabetic patient’s glucose levels are out of their target range. Visual graphs and charts make it easier to spot these trends and determine their causes within the context of therapeutic regimes, food intake or daily activities.
UNDERSTAND THE EXTENT OF THE ISSUES
Review the magnitude and duration of your diabetic patient’s glucose levels that are above or below the target range. These area-under-the-curve calculations can be reviewed for any given day and correlated with daily logbook entries to determine the actual glycemic response.
REVEAL DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS FOR INFORMED DECISIONS
Identify the interactions between meals, exercise, medication and insulin on glucose values. With these dynamics revealed, you can make informed decisions about adjustments to medication or insulin. You can use these charts to help diabetic patients understand how these interactions impact their blood glucose levels.
HOW IT WORKS
Our continuous glucose monitoring system features a sensor inserted just under the skin, which takes an interstitial glucose measurement every ten seconds. TLC’s certified technicians use a specialized insertion device, which makes positioning the sensor virtually painless for the patient.
The monitor itself is a small device, about the size of a cell phone or pager that can be attached to a belt or placed in a pocket. An averaged glucose value will be recorded every five minutes. In order to maintain the monitor’s correct calibration, patients are instructed to enter their SMBG results three times each day, approximately 5-7 hours apart.
We have vast clinical experience with this type of continuous glucose monitor as well as the recently FDA approved wireless device, the I-Pro. In a sensitive situation where patient compliance is often an issue, we are proud of our exemplary personal service record.
At the end of each patient’s testing period, a TLC technician will remove the monitor. All stored information is downloaded and a report is generated and forwarded directly to the treating physician. TLC Diagnostics is the exclusive provider of CGM services on the Eastern seaboard, and our experience shows.
