Cooperative Living September 2022 - 22

HEALTHY TAKE
Continuous
New Tool for Dialysis Patients
Blood glucose monitors shown to be accurate
Story courtesy of UVA Health
I
n what is believed to be the first study of its kind, new
University of Virginia Health research reveals that a
factory-calibrated, continuous glucose monitor may be
sufficiently accurate for use by people on dialysis, a group
often plagued by dangerous swings in blood-sugar levels.
The findings suggest that factory-calibrated blood
glucose monitors could offer an important diabetesmanagement
tool for patients on dialysis and those
suffering end-stage renal disease, the researchers conclude.
Researcher Meaghan M. Stumpf,
M.D., an expert on diabetes and
diabetes-management technology
at UVA Health, says patients with
end-stage renal disease often are
excluded from clinical
trials because of their complex cases.
Meaghan M. Stumpf, M.D.
" Therefore, these CGM devices,
often considered game changers for patients with diabetes
to monitor their sugars, are not yet FDA-approved for
patients with ESRD on dialysis, " she says.
" However, ESRD patients and their physicians may
still benefit from their use. Our research team conducted
this pilot study so that we could begin to understand
the accuracy of these devices for patients with ESRD
on hemodialysis. This study is not large enough to lead
to FDA approval, but it is important to take the first step. "
ABOUT GLUCOSE MONITORS
Patients with diabetes frequently use continuous
glucose monitors. These devices allow patients to track
their blood-sugar (glucose) levels automatically, helping
them to prevent their levels from getting dangerously
high or low.
Managing blood-sugar levels is a particular challenge
for patients on dialysis, which is a procedure to filter
blood for patients whose kidneys can no longer do so
adequately. Patients on dialysis often suffer from
hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which is potentially
deadly. That means that these patients need highly reliable,
accurate ways to track their blood sugar.
Until now, physicians and researchers did not have
accuracy data for factory-calibrated continuous glucose
monitors, so it was unclear if these devices would be up
to the job.
20 ● Cooperative Living ●
September 2022
RESEARCH PROJECT
To determine this, Stumpf and her colleagues enlisted
20 volunteers receiving hemodialysis at UVA to test such
a device, the Dexcom G6-Pro. Most of the participants
were male, African American, and on insulin, with an
average age of 61.
The participants were asked to wear the CGM for
10 days and to take four to seven fingerstick blood-sugar
readings per day with a home glucometer. Venous blood
samples were also collected during their hemodialysis
sessions.
The researchers compared the CGM glucose results
with the blood-sugar results collected by the patients and
during the patients' thrice-weekly dialysis sessions.
The researchers determined that the continuous
glucose monitor, overall, showed " clinical reliability, "
meaning that they were sufficiently accurate for estimating
blood-sugar levels. Almost 99% of the readings were
accurate enough to be used without confirmatory
fingerstick blood-sugar readings.
When the devices erred, they tended to overestimate,
rather than underestimate, blood-sugar levels, prompting
the researchers to note that additional research is warranted,
especially considering that people on dialysis tend to be
at elevated risk for low blood sugar.
" Although we certainly need larger studies, I am
encouraged that these factory-calibrated continuous
glucose monitors may be reasonably accurate for patients
on hemodialysis therapy, " Stumpf says. " CGM use
for these patients could lead to improved glucose control,
improved safety from life-threatening hypoglycemia and,
very importantly, improved quality of life. " 
co-opliving.com
glucose monitors
are becoming widely
used by patients
with diabetes.
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living September 2022

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