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What you should know about wearable glucose monitors in wake of recall

By Michelle Basch

The number of reported problems tied to millions of continuous glucose monitoring sensors that were recalled last year has grown.

About 3 million FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors manufactured by Abbott were recalled in November, because they might give low sugar readings that are incorrect.

In addition to seven deaths associated with the problem, there have been 860 serious injuries reported as of Jan. 7. That’s up from 736 at the time of the recall.

Even when working as designed, devices like these have benefits and drawbacks, according to Dr. Vandhna Sharma, an endocrinologist at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Maryland.

Continuous glucose monitoring systems, or CGMs, are often worn on the arm or abdomen and send readings to an app on your smartphone.

Sharma called them “excellent tools for identifying glucose patterns over time.” They are, however, different from glucometers, also known as blood glucose monitors or BGMs. CGMs monitor glucose levels in the fluid that surrounds cells, while glucometers check the levels in your blood.

The reading you get from a CGM may have a lag time of as much as 15 minutes behind what you get from a glucometer.

“If the CGM gives you a reading that’s low, you have to measure with a finger-stick,” Sharma said. “With any medical device, you have to ensure accuracy, especially periods of hypoglycemia.”

Another thing to keep in mind is whether a reading you’re getting makes sense with what your body is telling you.

“Whenever I give a patient a continuous glucose monitor — a CGM — I always advise them to correlate … the CGM reading to how they feel,” she said.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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