Using the Novel Approach of an Artificial Pancreas to Manage Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnancy

Abstract

Recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines suggest that insulin pump therapy should be used in pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who do not achieve optimal glycaemic control with multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy. Furthermore, a landmark trial has confirmed that prospective continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) may be beneficial for women using both MDI and insulin pumps during pregnancy, with positive effects on neonatal outcomes. More recently, overnight use of an artificial pancreas (AP) with a model-predictive control algorithm has been shown to improve the amount of time women spend within the overnight glucose target range (3.5–7.8 mmol/L) during pregnancy. However, preliminary studies where the AP is used day and night have shown a high degree of interindividual variability in response to the intervention, and further randomised trials are needed to understand which women are suitable candidates for CGM, insulin pump, and AP technology. It is understood that improvements in maternal glycaemic control can minimise the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Given the substantial improvements in glycaemic control with AP use outside of pregnancy, the recent advances in AP technology provide hope that AP systems will improve the effectiveness of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and CGM during pregnancy. Further research is needed to evaluate whether AP can optimise glucose control and neonatal outcomes in T1DM pregnancy. This paper will discuss emerging technologies available for the management of T1DM in pregnancy.