Devices for continuous monitoring of glucose: update in technology

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a tool that allows constant evaluation of glycemic control, providing data such as the trend and fluctuation of interstitial glucose levels over time. In clinical practice, there are two modalities: the professional or retrospective and the personal or real-time CGM (RT-CGM). The latest-generation sensors are more accurate and sensitive for hypoglycemia, improving adherence to self-monitoring, which has allowed optimizing glycemic control. The development of algorithms that allow the suspension of the infusion of insulin during hypoglycemia gave rise to the integrated therapy or sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy with low glucose suspend, which has proven to be an effective and safe alternative in the treatment of diabetic patients with high risk of hypoglycemia. The objective of this review is to present the evidence of the advantages of RT-CGM, the clinical impact of integrated therapy, and cost-effectiveness of its implementation in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus.