Patent ID: 7988630

Claim:
A system for monitoring and/or controlling a glycemic state of a subject, the system comprising: (a) at least one housing device adapted to be fully embedded internally within a subject wherein the at least one housing device includes: (1) a self-sealing membrane, (2) one or more sensors configured and adapted to produce a sensor output relating to a glycemic state wherein each of the one or more sensors is extendable through the self-sealing membrane into, and retractable back through the self-sealing membrane from being in direct contact with a target of a subject, (3) a reservoir containing insulin and having an output port, (4) an injection mechanism configured to controllably inject the insulin through the output port, (5) a control mechanism configured to receive and analyze at least one sensor output from the one or more sensors and to responsively control the quantity of insulin injected through the output port by the injection mechanism; and (6) an insertion mechanism controlled by the control mechanism, the insertion mechanism being configured and adapted to selectively extend at least one of the one or more sensors through the self-sealing membrane to be and to selectively retract the at least one of the one or more sensors back through the self-sealing membrane from being in direct contact with the target of the subject; and (b) an output mechanism that is activated by the control mechanism when the control mechanism detects an impending or occurring hypoglycemia and/or hyperglycemia condition as determined by the control mechanism from the sensor outputs; and (c) wherein the control mechanism is further configured and adapted to determine whether the performance of the at least one of the one or more sensors has deteriorated below a predetermined level whereupon the control mechanism causes the insertion mechanism to automatically: (1) extend another at least one sensor of the one or more sensors through the self-sealing membrane such that the at least one sensor is adapted to be in direct contact with the target of the subject, and (2) retract the deteriorated sensor back through the self-sealing membrane with the deteriorated sensor being configured to be retained fully embedded within the subject.