Diabetes Talking

Question:

Has anyone heard of this new product that will eliminate the painful sticking of your fingers and or toes 1-4 times a day, as needed?  This product uses a light or a laser to measure the blood flow in the finger or the toe and can measure the amount of sugar in your blood without puncturing the skin. Mark Gatanas

Response:

writes: Has anyone heard of this new product that will eliminate the painful sticking of your fingers and or toes 1-4 times a day, as needed?  This product uses a light or a laser to measure the blood flow in the finger or the toe and can measure the amount of sugar in your blood without puncturing the skin. Mark Gatanas

Mark,   I’ve heard of this, but the only one I’ve seen so far is large and you put your forearm in the mechanism.  In the operating room where I work we use an oximeter which tells us the percentage of oxygenation of the blood.  This is done by similar means…. a sticker with light placed on your finger (or toe etc.)  I know the cost of the machine I mentioned above was around $8,000.00.                 Sue

Response:

writes: Has anyone heard of this new product that will eliminate the painful sticking of your fingers and or toes 1-4 times a day, as needed?  This product uses a light or a laser to measure the blood flow in the finger or the toe and can measure the amount of sugar in your blood without puncturing the skin. Mark Gatanas

I am going to Montgomery General Hospital in Olney Maryland on Sunday April 23 to take part in the test of the "Dream Beam".  This device has been widely discussed in misc.health.diabetes in weeks and months past.  You stick your finger in the machine and it reads your Bg via infrared, I think. The test consists of having your Bg tested the "normal" way, then with the Dream Beam machine.  They will not disclose the results, however, the word is they have been doing okay. I believe the company preparing this machine for market is called Futrex; they are in Gaithersburg, MD.  I’m sure someone from Futrex monitors m.h.d.:  if you are listening, please correct any mis-information in this note. I believe Futrex hopes to have this machine on the market within the next couple years.  It will probably cost alot ($1-2K?), but there will be no reagents to buy, so it should pay for itself quickly. Kevin Blanc

Response:

   writes:

   Has anyone heard of this new product that will eliminate the painful    sticking of your fingers and or toes 1-4 times a day, as needed?  This    product uses a light or a laser to measure the blood flow in the    finger or    the toe and can measure the amount of sugar in your blood without    puncturing the skin. Two products being worked on, Mark, the Futrex in DC, and the Diasensor in PA. Neither has gotten past the FDA, both have been tested on humans now. The Diasensor is $8000, bulky, and can only work on one diabetic without a 4-hour recalibration. The Futrex is expected to be $1000, size of a video tape, and works on any of us. I know which I would want.      I’ve heard of this, but the only one I’ve seen so far is large and    you put your forearm in the mechanism.  In the operating room where I    work we use an oximeter which tells us the percentage of oxygenation of    the blood.  This is done by similar means…. a sticker with light    placed on your finger (or toe etc.)  I know the cost of the machine I    mentioned above was around $8,000.00.                 Sue Kind of similar means: your blood changes color when it’s oxygenated, so you can look for the ratio of "oxygen color" blood to "no-oxygen color" blood to get a percentage. It’s also the most obvious color component of blood, so it’s *easy* to measure.  Blood sugar does not change color, and has to be measured directly by laser spectroscopy (in the Diasensor). Then it has to somehow be compared to the amount of blood it’s in to get a ratio. This is not trivial, since there are many other components a similar color to the glucose and it’s a fairly small component of your blood and your blood spectra.                                 Nico Garcia My opinions are my own, not MIT’s or my employer’s or my cat’s (Well, maybe my cat’s….)

Response:

I am going to Montgomery General Hospital in Olney Maryland on Sunday April 23 to take part in the test of the "Dream Beam".  This device has been widely Kevin: Today is May 5, 1995 as I read this.  Just curious about how the test went. Fill us in if you can. Thanks. Chuck

We would also be very interested in learning more about bloodless testing.  My phamicist (sic) said he doesn’t anticipate anything available for under two years.  We don’t always get to check to Net so if you hear anything counld you please write to us?  Thanks

Response:

I am going to Montgomery General Hospital in Olney Maryland on Sunday April 23 to take part in the test of the "Dream Beam".  This device has been widely

Kevin: Today is May 5, 1995 as I read this.  Just curious about how the test went. Fill us in if you can. Thanks. Chuck

Response: