Glucose monitor could prevent complications in ICU patients

Venture-capital-backed Glysure, based in Oxford, uses sensor technology based on fibre optics and reversible fluorescent chemistry in a fully automated catheter system.

‘There’s been research showing, whether you’re diabetic or not, patients come out of big surgeries, such as cardiac surgeries or trauma, and end up with elevated glucose,’ Chris Jones, Glysure chief executive officer, told The Engineer.

This puts them at risk of sepsis, renal failure, the need to have blood transfusions and death. Indeed, glucose shows a so-called ‘U-shaped mortality curve’, meaning that there is an extremely narrow target range and a severe penalty for falling outside of it.

This makes accurate, minute-by-minute glucose monitoring potentially life saving for certain patients. However, this task currently has to be done manually by nurses, which is mostly out of the question for overburdened hospitals.

Glysure set about looking at various sensor technologies that could be adapted to the real-time monitoring of glucose.

‘The technical term for it is photo-induced electron transfer or PET,’ Jones said of the proprietary technology.