Michigan Among States Included in Urgent Diabetes Tech Recall

Faulty diabetes tech prompts urgent warning across Michigan-- and the rest of the nation.

According to CBS News the device failure has resulted in 7 deaths with dozens of unconfirmed injuries possible. Here's what diabetics in Michigan need to know:

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And that includes myself!

I've been a type 1 diabetic for six years, and I'm not quite sure how I would have handled these last six years without all my technology. Considering how much we pay for this expensive, life-saving technology, you would expect it to be accurate and function like it's supposed to.

I rely on both my Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to give me constant blood sugar readings, that way I don't have to prick my finger for a drop of blood to manually test my blood glucose myself. In my case, I used the Dexcom brand of CGM-- Nick Jonas is our spokesperson!

My CGM works in tandem with my insulin pump ensuring I get the correct amount of insulin to stay within safe blood sugar range so I can live a healthy, fulfilling life. At least, that's how it's supposed to go.

Abbott Diabetes Care, which produces the FreeStyle Libre brand of CGMs, has issued an urgent warning to their customers regarding faulty diabetes tech. According to the Food & Drug Administration,

The FDA is aware that Abbott Diabetes Care has issued a letter to distributors, health care providers, and affected customers recommending certain glucose monitor sensors be removed from where they are used or sold...FreeStyle Libre 3 readers and mobile apps are not impacted. Additionally, no other Libre products...or Abbott biowearables are impacted.

While this is not an official recall alert through the FDA, Abbott advises any patient using the affected sensors to remove them immediately and request a free replacement at www.FreeStyleCheck.com. Affected lot numbers include:

• FreeStyle Libre 3 Sensor
  • Model Numbers: 72081-01, 72080-01
  • Unique Device Identifiers (UDI-DI): 00357599818005, 00357599819002
• FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus Sensor
  • Model Numbers: 78768-01, 78769-01
  • Unique Device Identifiers (UDI-DI): 00357599844011, 00357599843014

More information on the affected CGM sensors here.