Sensor-augmented pump therapy - on the way to artificial pancreas

The continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is an established form of insulin therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The vision, the development of an artificial pancreas (closed-loop) is not yet realized. One important precondition for this to achieve, the availability of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), is given. The combination of CSII and CGM turns CSII into a new form of therapy, the sensor-augmented pump therapy (SaP). The superiority of SaP over classic CSII has been proven in randomised, controlled clinical trials. In this article, we review this new possibility of insulin therapy.