Continuous glucose monitoring is becoming better and better, but still isn’t without flaws. Here I’ll compare 2 systems currently on the market–the Dexcom Seven Plus and the Guardian RT.
Minimed Guardian RT (left) and Dexcom Seven Plus (right)
Sensor Insertion
The Minimed’s insertion is simpler and and more straight forward, but I like the Dexcom insertion better. First of all, the way the Dexcom’s inserter is designed, it is much more difficult to mess up with the angle and the insertion needle is more likely to enter the skin fully. With the Guardian, if I was at all hesitant when pressing the trigger, it wasn’t uncommon for the insertion needle to only make it half way in. Overall, the Dexcom may be a little less painful, but they are quite similar in that respect. It is much more difficult to remove the insertion device and connect the transmitter on the Dexcom, so this may make it less favorable for those wanting to place the sensor in harder to reach areas.
Transmitter/Sensor design
As far as the design of the transmitter and sensor go, both systems have advantages and disadvantages. The Dexcom adhesive patch is much better than the Guardian. So far, it has been totally unnecessary to use any type of dressing that was necessary to make the Guardian transmitter/sensor stay on. The Dexcom’s adhesive patch is larger overall, but worth the size in my opinion given that it is much more secure. Plus, once you put Tegaderm or IV3000 over the Guardian’s sensor, it’s going to cover a larger area. Read More
Mixed thoughts about Quicksets
I’ve been using Quicksets for a few weeks and gone from hating them to loving them multiple times. As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to use Insets with my Animas pump. Well, unfortunately, I can’t use those anymore because of Minimed’s proprietary connector but as far as reliability and ease of use go, they were great.
A couple issues I have with the Quickset having come from the all-mighty Insets.
Quickserter
Insertion – The Quickserter is not quite the tool it seems when watching video demos on Minimed’s website. It took me up to 5 minutes each site change just to get the thing loaded properly. Nothing like the Insets which come attached to a nice disposable plastic insertion device. My frustration with the Quickserter grew so I decided to try inserting a Quickset manually. The first time was slightly nerve racking Read More »