Automated insulin delivery (AID) systems are designed to lessen the burden of diabetes, but when insulin pumps and CGMs can’t communicate consistently under water, managing glucose levels while swimming becomes a challenge. The distance between the devices has proven to be an essential factor in staying in automation.

We spoke with Dr. Michael Hughes, assistant professor in the division of endocrinology, metabolism, and lipids at Emory University, who conducted a study with Dr. Dessi Zaharieva, collecting data from 124 swims during the Omnipod 5 pivotal trial. The study demonstrated disruptions to automation where the CGM couldn’t transmit data to the insulin pump while in the water, so the pump couldn’t adjust insulin dosing based on current glucose levels. Dr. Hughes and Dr. Zaharieva determined the common factors with AID disruption and where the devices need to be on the body in order to achieve the most time in automation while underwater.

This podcast conversation covers how Bluetooth behaves underwater, the design of the study, the data points collected, how the distance of your pump and CGM placement matters, and how to best prepare before getting in the water.

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