An innovative new treatment for children with type 1 diabetes that is offered at the Oxford Children’s Hospital has been featured on primetime BBC television.
The report shown on The One Show featured six-year-old patient Maebh, who has been fitted with a hybrid closed-loop system, also known as an artificial pancreas, which continually monitors blood glucose and automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given through a pump.
Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) paediatric diabetes consultant Dr Rachel Besser, who also features in the video, said: “It’s fantastic that this new technology has been featured on such a prominent TV programme.
“We’ve seen this artificial pancreas technology have a truly transformative effect on the lives not only of the children living with type 1 diabetes, but also of their parents. I’m looking forward to seeing a situation in the not-too-distant future when all families with a child with diabetes will be able to benefit from this technology,” said Dr Besser, whose work is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
There are now a number of artificial pancreas systems available. Information about the one featured on The One Show can be found here
Families who have questions about the artificial pancreas should contact their local diabetes team or read about them here.