Medtrum’s S6 update. Does it make a difference?

Earlier this year, Medtrum updated their S6 CGM system, introducing better sensors and an updated algorithm within the transmitter, with the intention of improving the accuracy, that I had previously reported as not being particularly good.

They were kind enough to send me a pack of the updated sensors and a new transmitter to try out and see if I found any improvements. 

After using three of the new sensors with the new transmitter, I’ve arrived at a conclusion, and sadly it’s very brief.

While I get the strong impression that the accuracy has been improved, I have been unable to capture enough data to verify thoroughly, as the life of the sensors definitely hasn’t. 

Sadly the above image has been all too familiar and I’ve so far not achieved seven days life from any of the three sensors, let alone the potential 14 that the app promises. 

While the initial indications are that the new set up is much more accurate than the old one, indeed, although the next picture isn’t all that clear, post start up, the Medtrum with a calibration was very much in line with fingerprick data, while the G6 using the code based “non-calibration” was a good 1.8mmol/l off, it’s lifespan is, simply put, terrible.

Of the three sensors I’ve tried, the longest life was 5 days, with the following two lasting nearly three days and less than 24 hours respectively. While they’re priced competitively, this simply isn’t good enough.

As a result, I’m not going to publish any kind of accuracy data as I don’t have enough data points for a reliable data set. Suffice to say that while the data has looked okay, none of the sensors have lasted long enough to give a valid test, and that when I raised this with the company, they accepted there are issues there.

So what next? They’re shortly bringing to market a new product, the S7. The data within the A7 combined pump and CGM system’s manual, seems to suggest something very similar to the S6, so we await further details. 

Given their current pricing model, I really hope that it remains competitive and that the new product brings both accuracy and longevity. It would be good to see a cost-competitive and accuracy competitive CGM system available to rival some of the existing behemoths in the market.

 

6 Comments

  1. I was also invited to check out the latest version of the Medtrum some weeks ago but did not feel the results were worth publishing with my earlier report on my blog/website bgonmywatch.com.

    I did get one sensor to run for 8 days but they did not last as long as the original ones. this was not adhesive failure which was quite good but just the sensor stopped working.

    I wore the sensors on my arm which Medtrum now state is the preferred option as Tim suggested in his first report.

    Conclusion:
    At this point I felt there was no point in going on. Results are very similar to when I tried it last year it is more volatile than the FSL/Xdrip and sometimes goes much higher or lower than the actual BG as shown by the BGM and sometimes loses the plot completely. It does seem we need upgrades to the sensor before we can rely on it.

    At the moment it would only be useful to me if I went back to testing with a BGM half a dozen times a day and used the A6 alarms to warn me that BG was changing rapidly and that I needed to carry out a confirmatory check.

  2. I trialled Medtrum, Dexcom G5 and Libre+MiaoMiao+xdrip. I was also unable to have a medtrum sensor last more than one day. The insertion method and/or length of needle appears to be such that it is more likely to cause a bleed which kills the sensor. This was not the experience with Dexcom or Libre. It is extremely unfortunate as this system with its cost and rechargeable transmitter should be competitive however it is badly let down by the sensor.

    • I’m not sure what it is that drives the issues. When I first tried it, the sensors lasted 7 or so days. With the updated sensor and transmitter, I had the problems, which suggests a combination of factors causing the issues.

  3. the medtrum cannula is so sort that it is possible that it is pulled out and not in place during wearing, I suggest some covering

  4. Hi Tim,

    I have been using the Medtrum A6 CGM which has been working okay for me at the moment do you know if this can be used with the Xdrip software? Many thanks

  5. I have tested the sensors with many people. As the OP suggests, they hardly last for 7 days, let alone the promised 14 days.

    However, I have noticed that with more sensors used, patients managed to achieve 14 days in some cases. Why do you think they need to waste at least 3-4 sensors before they manage to use them for more days?

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