Discovering The Medtronic MiniMed 670g

In addition to being an excellent opportunity for people with diabetes from all around Europe and America to meet and share experiences, the other aim of the event was for us to be able to learn more about the newest insulin pump produced by Medtronic- the MiniMed670g. In this blog I'm going to do my best to explain what I learned about the pump from my perspective, but if there's anything that I don't cover, or that you'd like to know more about, feel free to comment on the post or on social media and I'll try and find out the answer.

The NEW MiniMed 670g

The MiniMed 670g is the latest insulin pump to be released by Medtronic, having been out in the USA for a few months and released in certain parts of Europe this week. The exciting thing about the new pump is that it has automated insulin capabilities. The insulin pump does require some input, but whereas previous/ other pumps on the market need users to input basal (or background) insulin rates that are set, unless changed. The MiniMed 670g uses sensor data from CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) to adjust the basal rate every 5 minutes, responding to the insulin needs of the body which may differ greatly from hour to hour and day to day.

Medtronic European HQ, Switzerland

The pump system works with a new sensor- the Guardian Sensor 3, which lasts up to 7 days (a potential day longer than the current sensors), which reads the glucose levels and transmits them through the new Guardian Link 3 transmitter to the pump. Both of which I understand have increased accuracy compared to their previous models. The new sensor needs to calibrated a minimum of twice per day, but the pump also needs calibrating (but both can be done at the same time), to check that information is being translated accurately. The sensor is also indicated for use in the arm now too and I believe the pump is suitable for those over 7 years old and on 8 units of insulin or above. There's a shorter warm-up time with this pump too- approximately 45 minutes (compared to 2 hours on the 640g). The MiniMed 670g pump works with the Contour Next Link 2.4 blood glucose monitor and there are two additional options on Carelink (the computer system that shows the CGM data), on of which enables side-by-side comparison and that should be both Mac and Android compatible. The infusion sets (needle worn under the skin to deliver insulin and connected via tube to the pump) are the same.

Real World Research on MiniMed 670g Insulin Pump Use

Two engineers from Medtronic worked on the algorithm for the pump, which works on 17 different parameters per day, to learn and adapt to the body's insulin needs. Some of the parameters include insulin sensitivity, fasting basal glucose and the body's response to them. But there are also parameters that are set by the diabetes specialist such as carbohydrate rate (how many units of insulin are given per gram of carbohydrate) and active insulin time (how long insulin acts/ lasts). It's important for me to note that the pump does need to be told when eating carbs and pre-bolusing (giving insulin before the food) is required. The insulin pump is fixed to adjusting insulin (through small micro-boluses every 5 minutes) to a blood glucose measure of 6.7mmol/l at the moment, which equates to a hba1c of 6.8% in old money. This level is currently not adjustable, but there is an opportunity to raise the rate for a set number of hours, to a second option of 8.3mmol/l, to be used for example when exercising. As I understand it, the aim of the MiniMed 670g is to help people with type 1 spend more time in range, which as discussed in my previous blog, produces potentially less fluctuation in glucose levels. With research from the USA suggesting that those who have tried the 670g spend on average 71.6% of time in range, as picture above.

The Demo MiniMed 670g In Action

The insulin pump is capable of two modes; Manual Mode which appears most like how the MiniMed 640g works now, whereby there is a suspend before low option and smart guard where the insulin delivery is temporarily suspended whilst glucose levels hopefully come back in range. The second option on the 670g is Auto Mode which adjusts and gives basal insulin every 5 minutes. The MiniMed 670g has been trialled in the USA with Novorapid, Apidra and Humalog insulins, but Fiasp is not currently approved in this location for use in pumps, but it is in the UK, so is an area for future studies. When people make the choice with their diabetes specialist to go onto the MiniMed 670g, there's also a support programme available from Medtronic for the first 3 months through a contact on the phone, online chat and digital information online.

Medtronic Diabetes European Blogger Exchange Community

The pump has been released in the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK this week and Finland, Denmark, Norway and Canada will see release shortly. Pumps have already left the factory and been delivered to countries where it has been launched. Medtronic was asked about capacity if demand was high and they appeared to report that they were ready. I was incredibly excited to see the insulin pump in action and it was great to have the chance to speak with former pro-basketball player Rob Howe form the USA, on how he had found the experience of using the pump. But more about that in my next blog to follow!


With thanks to Medtronic for sponsoring me to attend the event.