Medical devices that report data continue to evolve. I do have to say that I never thought that I would hear plug and play with diabetes monitoring in the same device or sentence. You can find out more at the FAQ section and the device is both MAC and Windows compatible. 
The device can be carried with you and recharges when plugged into a computer. The device is not available for use in the US yet. Now, I have a question here that is something IT managers will need to think about if employees are allowed to use the device at work, add to group policy. Many employers do not allow USB devices to be used at work so this is something new for the IT/IS department to think about.
When the USB Contour reaches the US, this looks like another device to connect to HealthVault. It does seem to appear to be very simplified for the end user with using the sticks right with the device and then loading to a computer. BD
Press Release:
Newbury, United Kingdom, [March 1, 2010] − Today Bayer Diabetes Care launch their new CONTOUR® USB blood glucose meter in the UK and Ireland. Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB is the first blood glucose meter with cutting edge ‘plug and play’ technology and a built-in USB that inserts directly into a computer. This innovative meter provides users with instant access to their blood glucose test results whilst ‘on-the-go’, helping them to manage their condition more effectively and in a way that suits their modern lifestyle. Specialist Glucofacts™ DELUXE software translates up to 2,000 individual blood glucose readings into meaningful trends and patterns, giving users an unprecedented level of access to their own unique diabetic profiles and empowering them to become ‘experts’ in their diabetes. 
“This technology has the potential to transform the way people manage their diabetes; instead of seeing a single blood glucose level, they can now simply see & review the whole picture”, said Dr. Iain Cranston, Consultant Physician, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. “Up until now visualization of this data has been difficult and people with diabetes have often just been reacting to their one-off blood glucose levels on a real-time basis, but CONTOUR® USB gives them a much bigger overview, enabling them to spot regular patterns and potential problems emerging and allowing them to take a more proactive role in their condition.”
Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB can also help people with diabetes to make better, more informed decisions that are based upon genuine insight. Users can not only download their blood glucose results for their own information, but they can now send them directly to their healthcare professionals at the touch of a button.
“With the CONTOUR® USB meter, patients are able to share their results with their healthcare professional during a clinic appointment, over the phone, or via email, giving them the opportunity to make treatment adjustments, such as taking action to reduce their HbA1c levels, if necessary. One of the main differences is that now this is a two-way conversation and patients are better able to understand the logic behind such treatment adjustments, incorporating them into their daily routine with greater ease.” said Dr. David Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Bayer Diabetes Care.
Low levels of HbA1c in the bloodstream are one of the best indicators that diabetes is under control. Use of Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB with its specialist diabetes management software has been shown to significantly lower HbA1c1 and a sustained HbA1c reduction is important for consistent diabetes management. In fact, even a one-percent reduction in HbA1c reduces the risk of serious diabetes related complications by 40 percent2.
Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter also features:
· A bright color display, visible in any light that shows average, high and low readings with customizable features such as intuitive pre- and post-meal marking
· 500MB extra memory for storage of personal diabetes information
· Rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port or via the optional CONTOUR® USB wall charger
· Glucofacts™ DELUXE diabetes management software
Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter uses CONTOUR® blood glucose test strips currently available on prescription.
Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers, who has diabetes and is an ambassador for Bayer Diabetes Care said, “I have been using Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter and really like it. The technology has made monitoring my blood sugar, logging the results, and sharing information with my healthcare professional an easier process for me, especially with my busy schedule. This new meter has totally simplified my diabetes management experience.”
Nick has custom designed a Dog Tag, available for people with diabetes and those who want to show their support for diabetes. Launching in the UK at the same time as Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter, the Dog Tags are £6 and Bayer will make a donation to the Jonas Brothers’ Change for the Children Foundation as well as donating £1 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for every dog tag sold. The Dog Tags are available at www.NicksSimpleWins.co.uk.
Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter will be available soon for sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland. If based in the United Kingdom, people should visit www.bayercontourusb.co.ukto find out more and to purchase Bayer’s CONTOUR® USB meter. If they make their purchase before the 30th of June 2010, they can save £5 by typing USBPR5 in the promotional code box.
Alternatively if they are based in Ireland, they should go to www.bayercontourusb.ie. If they make their purchase before the 30th of June 2010, they can save €6 by typing USBPR6 in the promotional code box.
About Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin.3 Approximately 2.6 million children and adults in the UK or 4% of the population, have diabetes,4which puts them at risk of developing serious health complications over time, such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and stroke.5Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In people with type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin, which may result in many complications if glucose levels are not controlled.6 Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults, although increasingly, children are being diagnosed with this disease. Type 2 is associated with obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity.7
About Bayer Diabetes Care
Bayer Diabetes Care supports customers in 100 countries and stands in a long tradition of leading the way in diabetes care product innovation since the introduction of CLINITEST reagent tablets in 1941. The face of diabetes care was changed in 1969 when the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips were introduced. Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes management by being the first company to introduce a suite of blood glucose monitors with No Coding™ technology. The BREEZE®2 and CONTOUR® blood glucose monitoring systems offer people with diabetes an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems. Bayer Diabetes Care global headquarters is located in Tarrytown, New York, in the United States and operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group. The Headquarters for the region Europe-MERA is located in Basel as part of Bayer Consumer Care AG.
About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of healthcare, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.
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1 Janssen M. Portalalin M, Wallace J, et al.: Ascensia WinGLUCOFACTS™ Professional Software Improves
Diabetes Health Outcomes. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2007: 1:47-53.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: general information and national
estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2003. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2003.pdf. Last
accessed May 11, 2009
3 CDC Diabetes Program: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/basics.htm
4 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) 2009:
England: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/supporting-information/audits-andperformance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework/qof-2008/09/data-tables/prevalence-data-tables
5 CDC Diabetes Program: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/faq/basics.htm
6 http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/search.pdf. Last accessed May 4, 2009
7 http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general.htmLast accessed May 4, 2009
Thanks for posting. It's so nice.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article!The functions of usb drives are far beyond my imagination. Thanks for sharing. I like it!
ReplyDeleteThis meter, while compact and sleek, has absolutely useless software... well, at least, is you're using a Mac which Bayer purports to support. Whenever the device is plugged in, a popup complains that the version of Java is insufficient — even though I have the very latest version installed. Bayer recently offered an update (which I'd hoped might make the device useful) which also failed miserably. There's simply no reason for this. I now have a $100 meter, where all of the other vendors basically give theirs away, that simply does not provide me anything more than my old meter. What I'm looking for is a 21st Century way to toss the old log book. This device has proven that the log book is safe from the skip for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDelete