Had a relative with a toddler that almost died due to his GCM overreporting his levels.
My mom had one and learned immediately not to trust it.
I’m shocked that both people I know personally had those devices turn out to be uselessly inaccurate…
Seven Diabetes Patients Die Due to Undisclosed Bug in Abbott's Continuous Glucose Monitors
Submitted 3 weeks ago by King@sh.itjust.works to technology@lemmy.world
https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2025/dec/23/seven-abbott-freestyle-libre-cgm-patients-dead/
Comments
jj4211@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
orclev@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Abbott claims they’re good for 14 days of use but my experience is that they’re worthless after 5 to 10 days. The first 5 days of use they’re about as accurate as the Dexcom units (typically +/- 10%). Beyond that they start to read increasingly low (-50% to -80%) with readings often failing entirely by day 10 or 11. It wouldn’t be a problem if you could replace them after 5 days, but if you do that insurance pitches a fit and refuses to cover more of them because “they’re good for 14 days”.
TeamAssimilation@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
I’ve used Libre 2 for years, they work reliably. They will usually fail in the first hours of use, but otherwise work well for the 14 days.
Always keep a standard glucometer at hand, because these monitors can be affected by temperature and humidity.
xep@discuss.online 3 weeks ago
Is this behaviour for a particular sensor, like the Libre 2, or do they affect all of them?
burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
My favorite part about the continuous monitors is that they really show the incompetence of the clinics that are supposed to be managing us diabetics. There is a freaking option to share the data with your doctor (this is dexcom’s system thingie), but mine just asks for my account information so they can login with that and get the data. Like, whyyyy?!? You could manage all of us from one account rather than logging in a thousand different times.
Then we get to the bullshit terms and conditions, where the real hate begins… fucking device maker can go hog wild with all of our data and share it with whomever they want. Can’t use the device, after all, unless you agree to it. HIPAA is basically dead at this point.
Krukenberg@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Thats why I use open source. It puts a ton of responisibility on the user but it’s 100% worth it. Look up xDrip+ for Dexcom and AAPS for SAP (/closed loop systems).
Fmstrat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
My mother recently got one of the arm glucose monitors. Is there a good FOSS guide anywhere for them? (Unfortunately she’s on iPhone).
burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Thanks, I will.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I work in health insurance and we get heads up when crazy shit happens we need to be ready to deal with and BOY was this big one!
The TLDR of this is abbot knows they fucked up really bad. They also know which sensors are fucked. They have a website you can use to look up if yours is affected. They will send you a replacement for free. They are also praying to corporate Jesus nobody sues but we all know that’s coming anyway.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I doubt the shareholders won’t notice this one.
devolution@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Dexcom is more reliable.
orclev@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Unfortunately I am severely allergic to the adhesive Dexcom uses that they claim is hypoallergenic.
SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
From what I know about the US, this entire thread seems like a wet dream of a lawyer working on commission.
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
That’s a misprint. It’s supposed to say hyperallergenic.
(/s, in case that wasn’t obvious)
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Do adhesive barriers help at all? I live off the Smith and nephew one
xep@discuss.online 3 weeks ago
The Dexcom is far more uncomfortable also, in my experience. The filament causes a red spot and aching in my arm, but the Libre 2’s does not.
devolution@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Insurance is more likely to cover the Dexcom. God bless Healthcare. 🙃
pHr34kY@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I eventually figured out that the Libre Freesytle 2 will significantly underread if you sleep on it. I would recommend doing a finger prick test before acting upon what a CGM tells you to do.
AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’ve found this is really dependent on placement. If I put my libre a couple of centimeters away from the region I usually use, it’ll read low all night, but as long as I stick to the zone I’ve determined to be fine, it’ll agree with a blood test even if I’ve had pressure on it for ages. Also, the 3 is more forgiving than the 1 or 2 because it’s smaller than the older models, so affects how much the skin bends and squishes less.
mikerr@programming.dev 3 weeks ago
Found that on day one, pretty sure it’s even in the instructions not to put the sensor somewhere you’ll put pressure on.
jordanlund@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Freestyle Libre was my first CGM and as soon as I had the opportunity to switch to Dexcom, I did.
Each new sensor was wildly low or wildly high, with no option to calibrate. It was really only good for measuring changes, not the actual glucose reading itself.
So "Oh, it’s going up, +5, +10, +20… probably accurate, but is it 80, 180, or 240? Use a finger stick to know for sure.
Lemminary@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
(Foreigner here) Could this be related to DOGE’s defunding of the three-letter acronym agencies and all that? It seems like proper testing and reporting weren’t being carried out. They say this has been happening since the 80s, but seven deaths is a little too much.
frongt@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Probably not. These products take a long time to develop, and DOGE was only a thing in the last few months.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
no, these products are well known to have alot inaccuracies in thier detection, thats why you should have a backup fingerstick glucose monitor as a backup at all times.
ChaosInstructor@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
seeing this now feels great. two weeks ago i got a crt-d implanted and sure as hell…it is an abbot.
Krukenberg@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
CGM is new tech and it is known to healthcare providers know how much it sucks. Dont worry about their pacers.
Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
I don’t continuously wear a monitor, just when I’m experiencing some flux in my glucose measurements. In big print, all the Libre 2 monitors I have had say to double check odd or unexpected glucose readings or reading that don’t correspond with how you are feeling with a finger prick device. I have had the low glucose warning several times and I double check it. Only once has it been a real low glucose reading. Technology can be very helpful but you still have to use it correctly.
SystemL@literature.cafe 3 weeks ago
Hmmm. I’m thinking of switching to Libre…
ivanafterall@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Are we talking sugar-free Linux Mint or…?
Threeme2189@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Office suite
WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Yeah, they have a large enough stock of humans, now they want to kill the sick and disabled.
Zephorah@discuss.online 3 weeks ago
This makes me think of Norton in fight club discussing recalls.
AreaKode@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
A times B times C equals X…If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don’t do one.
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 3 weeks ago
The older I get, the more I understand (I mean, really understand Tyler Durden). And I hate that this is so.
treadful@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Damn, I gotta watch that movie again.
piecat@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
FDA mandates how recalls happen, pharmaceutical or medical device.
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 3 weeks ago
Do they still exist?
roofuskit@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They have to have information.