Chris reviews new features of the MiniMed™ 780G system
I switched to Medtronic
My name is Chris, a Medtronic Champion who’s been living with type 1 diabetes for 35 years. On the day of my diagnosis, I was admitted to the hospital, and the next day I was learning how to inject using an orange (apparently the peel is a great stand-in for human skin) before injecting myself for the first time later that day!
I have gone from self-injection of native insulin (isolated from pigs) to recombinant insulin delivered by insulin pump, to now being on a hybrid closed loop system with Medtronic for nearly six years. And the closed loop system has truly changed my life, from the MiniMed™ 670G system to the MiniMed™ 770G, and now the MiniMed™ 780G system.
Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t always been on Medtronic diabetes products. I have previously used insulin pumps from two other companies and one CGM from another company. Access to the closed loop system is what really drove me to look deeper at and move to Medtronic.
My MiniMed™ 780G system experience
My experience has been truly amazing. It’s safe to say the MiniMed™ 780G system has made an improvement to my healthcare.
Top features
Here are the features I enjoy most:
1. Meal Detection™ technology.* Like everyone else, carb counting guesstimates don’t always work perfectly. The MiniMed™ 780G system deals with post-meal blood sugars more aggressively than just adjusting basal rates. It works great at keeping my blood sugar in range and back to goal.
2. Target glucose value. With the MiniMed™ 780G system, my healthcare provider and I get to choose my target blood glucose value (100, 110, or 120 mg/dL).** I have long wanted to have access to a lower target than previous systems would allow (120 mg/dL only).
3. New Guardian™ 4 transmitter and sensors (CGM). Now with Medtronic, I can stay in a closed loop system and no longer need to perform fingersticks to calibrate my sensor.† This has freed me from having to worry about when I was going to eat (and bolus) so that I wouldn’t have too much insulin on board when a calibration would be coming up. I am free to sleep when I want, wake up when I want, and eat when I want without worrying about when to calibrate!
4. Updated alarms and notifications. With the transition to the MiniMed™ 780G system and the Guardian™ 4 CGM, the frequency of alarms and notifications has dropped substantially from my experience with previous models. Honestly, I had silenced many of the non-urgent alarms on my pumps, but now with the MiniMed™ 780G system in SmartGuard™ mode, I almost never receive an alert on my pump unless it’s one of the brief instances where my blood sugar value has gone out of my upper or lower target range.
More freedom to exercise
I am a bit of an exercise enthusiast (running eight full marathons and completing all six of the World Marathon Majors). The MiniMed™ 780G system has allowed me more freedom to exercise without worrying about whether or not my blood sugar levels are behaving properly before my workout (using temp target well in advance) or after my workout (helping to ensure that post-exercise and meal hypoglycemia is dealt with in advance!).
I was doing fine before transitioning to the MiniMed™ 780G system, but I have been doing even better since I did the upgrade.
My recommendation
My experience with the MiniMed™ 780G system for nearly three months has truly been amazing. I can do more and not worry about my post-meal blood sugar, frequent calibrations, and waking up on time to make sure I calibrated my CGM.
It has given me more freedom to do what I want, when I want, and allow my diabetes management to be back of mind – I leave it to the system to do its thing! I tell everyone I know how great the system is and how it’s worth checking out to see if it can make your life with diabetes easier, and most importantly, better!
Guest author: Chris, Medtronic Champion
Reference
* Taking a bolus 15 – 20 min before a meal helps to keep blood sugar levels under control after eating.
§ Refers to SmartGuard™ feature. Individual results may vary.
** Glucose targets should be set following a consultation with your healthcare provider.
† Fingersticks required in manual mode & to enter SmarGuard™. If symptoms don’t match alerts & readings, use a fingerstick. Refer to user guide. Pivotal trial participants spend avg of > 93% in SmartGuard™.
Important safety information: MiniMed™ 780G system with SmartGuard™ technology with Guardian™ 4 Sensor
The MiniMed™ 780G system is intended for continuous delivery of basal insulin at selectable rates, and the administration of insulin boluses at selectable amounts for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons seven years of age and older requiring insulin as well as for the continuous monitoring and trending of glucose levels in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed™ 780G System includes SmartGuard™ technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust insulin delivery based on the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor glucose values and can suspend delivery of insulin when the SG value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values.
The Medtronic MiniMed™ 780G System consists of the following devices: MiniMed™ 780G Insulin Pump, the Guardian™ 4 Transmitter, the Guardian™ 4 Sensor, One-press serter, the Accu-Chek™ Guide Link blood glucose meter, and the Accu-Chek™ Guide Test Strips. The system requires a prescription from a healthcare professional.
The Guardian™ 4 Sensor is intended for use with the MiniMed™ 780G system and the Guardian 4 transmitter to monitor glucose levels for the management of diabetes. The sensor is intended for single use and requires a prescription. The Guardian™ (4) sensor is indicated for up to seven days of continuous use.
The Guardian™ 4 sensor is not intended to be used directly to make therapy adjustments while the MiniMed™ 780G is operating in manual mode. All therapy adjustments in manual mode should be based on measurements obtained using a blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian™ 4 sensor. The Guardian™ 4 sensor has been studied and is approved for use in patients ages 7 years and older and in the arm insertion site only. Do not use the Guardian™ 4 sensor in the abdomen or other body sites including the buttocks, due to unknown or different performance that could result in hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
WARNING: Do not use the SmartGuard™ feature for people who require less than 8 units or more than 250 units of total daily insulin per day. A total daily dose of at least 8 units, but no more than 250 units, is required to operate in the SmartGuard™ feature. |
WARNING: Do not use the MiniMed™ 780G system until appropriate training has been received from a healthcare professional. Training is essential to ensure the safe use of the MiniMed™ 780G system.
WARNING: Do not use SG values to make treatment decisions, including delivering a bolus, while the pump is in Manual Mode. When the SmartGuard™ feature is active and you are no longer in Manual Mode, the pump uses an SG value, when available, to calculate a bolus amount. However, if your symptoms do not match the SG value, use a BG meter to confirm the SG value. Failure to confirm glucose levels when your symptoms do not match the SG value can result in the infusion of too much or too little insulin, which may cause hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.
Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow for the recognition of pump signals, alerts, or alarms. The safety of the MiniMed™ 780G system has not been studied in pregnant women, persons with type 2 diabetes, or in persons using other anti-hyperglycemic therapies that do not include insulin. For complete details of the system, including product and important safety information such as indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions associated with system and its components, please consult https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/important-safety-information#minimed-780g and the appropriate user guide at https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/download-library.
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About Author
Sabrina Huda Sanchez
Principal Website Marketing SpecialistSabrina has been with Medtronic since 2022 on the website marketing team to improve our information accessibility and knowledge database. She was inspired to help people find easier ways to manage their diabetes.