BACKGROUND
Despite being an unapproved method of insulin delivery, increasing numbers of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) worldwide are choosing to use Loop, a Do-It-Yourself Automated Insulin Delivery system.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess glycemic outcomes, safety and the perceived impact on quality of life (QOL), in a local Edmonton cohort of known Loop users.
METHODS
An observational study of adults with T1D using Loop was performed. Assessment of glycemic; HbA1c and time in range (TIR), and safety outcomes; hospital admissions and time below range (TBR), compared six months of Loop with the user’s prior regulatory approved insulin delivery method. QOL outcomes were assessed using INSPIRE, Diabetes Impact and Device Satisfaction (DIDS) measures (with maximum scores of 100, 10 and 10), and semi-structured interviews.
RESULTS
24 adults with T1D, 66.7% female, median (IQR) age 33 (28-45), duration of diabetes 22 years (17-32), with duration of Loop 18 months (12-25). With Loop, median (IQR) HbA1c 7.1% (6.5-7.5), 54mmol/mol (48-58) and TIR 76.5% (64.6-81.9); a significant improvement from prior therapy (p=0.001 and p=0.005), with a non-significant reduction in time 3.0-3.9mmol/L (p=0.17) and <3mmol/L (p=0.53). Two episodes of DKA and no severe hypoglycemia occurred in a total of 470 months Loop use. Positive QOL impact was explored in qualitative analysis and additionally demonstrated through median (IQR) INSPIRE 86 (79-95), DI 2.8 (2.1-3.9) and DS 9 (8.2-9.4).
CONCLUSIONS
This local cohort of people with T1D, demonstrate a beneficial effect of Loop use on both glycemic control and QOL, with no safety concerns highlighted.
CLINICALTRIAL
N/A