If this takes off I see potential in software that automatically orders GrubHub if your levels get too low.
Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
31–40 of 46 posts
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#32This article leaves us hanging; the initial motivator for developing the system is to prevent instances of overnight hypoglycemia - but we reach a conclusion talking about how it can autonomously deliver insulin to correct for hyperglycemic events. Were they ever able to make the algorithm robust enough to predict low blood sugars in the future and "shut off" or reduce delivery of basal insulin to mitigate these even…
The github repo https://github.com/openaps/openaps includes a description of some of the things the project can do. One of them is "predict - Can make predictions about what should happen next."
All diabetics ever have is a rear facing indicator, fortunately it's not really true that you can't predict the future when it comes to blood glucose. The simple equation is `exercise + carbs + current blood glucose level + insulin on board` along with all the attributes that make your body respond to artificial insulin the way it will. The system doesn't really need to predict the future to be a massive improvement on where diabetics already are thanks to slow moving organizations like the FDA. With appropriately cautious buffers around when to shut the insulin pump off a huge majority of diabetics will rarely see a low blood sugar. The technology is here, we just have to summon up the will to move medicine forward.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#33While I am a big fan of DIY bio, my experience with Raspberry Pis is that they are highly prone to failure. Becoming dependent on a device- that is, expecting it to work with close to 100% reliability- and then using a device that is easy to disable and prone to failure (I run a fleet of Pis and they mangle their SD cards a lot)- seems like wishful thinking. It may work 95% of the time, but that's not good enough. Th…
I had enough problems running one that was hooked up to the wall, running it on batteries just increases the chances of an SD card/file system failure.
They could make the thing a lot more fault tolerant if they set up its fstab to mount the file system read only, and run in memory.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are the other functions?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas#Function "It is possible for one to live without a pancreas, provided that the person takes insulin for proper regulation of blood glucose concentration and pancreatic enzyme supplements to aid digestion. "
Interesting. I've always wondered why we don't simply remove the entire pancreas for cases of pancreatic cancer?
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are the other functions?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas#Function "It is possible for one to live without a pancreas, provided that the person takes insulin for proper regulation of blood glucose concentration and pancreatic enzyme supplements to aid digestion. "
It's saddening that a possibly avoidable organ leads to the most "lethal" cancer.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas#Function "It is possible for one to live without a pancreas, provided that the person takes insulin for proper regulation of blood glucose concentration and pancreatic enzyme supplements to aid digestion. "
Interesting. I've always wondered why we don't simply remove the entire pancreas for cases of pancreatic cancer?
Because there is no clinical evidence for the survival benefit of total pancreatectomy over a Whipple.
There's absolutely nothing simple about surgery when the pancreas is involved.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#37While I am a big fan of DIY bio, my experience with Raspberry Pis is that they are highly prone to failure. Becoming dependent on a device- that is, expecting it to work with close to 100% reliability- and then using a device that is easy to disable and prone to failure (I run a fleet of Pis and they mangle their SD cards a lot)- seems like wishful thinking. It may work 95% of the time, but that's not good enough. Th…
At the same time, this is a really cool hobby project that someone interested in a future developing medical devices could try to replicate as they are learning.
I sure hope not.
This is an interesting personal project, but it is far from how medical devices should be (and are) developed. Where is the risk analysis, for example? Or the FMEA? Was the software developed under ISO 62304? Etc.
There's a lot of activity that happens in a regulated industry that is completely missing here, which is why I see this as a poor example.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#38I wonder why the medical industry doesn't do this, combining an insulin pump and a constant glucose monitor into a single system?
The regulatory approval pathway for a combination drug/device platform, with a automatic clinical decision component, is a nightmare.
Assume one did create the device, and got it to work across a wide patient population with varying diets, disease severity, treatment responsivity, etc., and then (somehow) got approval for it. Existing insulin pumps are already challenging to get reimbursed under insurance, and they have a more straightforward regulatory approval path with lower R&D costs. The super pump would need to be reimbursed for quite a bit more money to justify the increased R&D costs. That is going to be a very hard sell under quality of life improvement alone—clinical data showing an improved patient outcome or decreased long-term healthcare costs is what is needed. You're benchmarking against existing pumps with separate monitors, which sets a high bar.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#39I've thought of this but am too worried a floating point number error or a problem with division could cause an automated fatal dose of insulin to actually do it.
Thus the comment in the article about a programmed maximum.
Re: Hacked Raspberry Pi turned into artificial pancreas
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting. I've always wondered why we don't simply remove the entire pancreas for cases of pancreatic cancer?
Because there is no clinical evidence for the survival benefit of total pancreatectomy over a Whipple. There's absolutely nothing simple about surgery when the pancreas is involved.
Do you have a citation for that? I'd be curious to read more.
Intiutively it sounds wrong since I'd image any cancer that comes back after the whipple is coming from left over cancer cells in the pancreas, no?