What are the limitations of the Glucommander?
The Glucommander cannot respond quickly to sudden changes in glucose. Because the blood sugar checks are typically an hour or more apart, abrupt changes in the rate at which glucose enters the system can result in large changes in blood sugar before the system can respond. Therefore, patients should not eat discrete meals on the Glucommander, although a constant tube feeding is well handled. Abrupt cessation of IV dextrose or tube feeding may result in hypoglycemia. On the other hand, an incremental increase in IV dextrose or tube feeding is usually handled well, with only a transient increase in the blood glucose.
