Patent ID: 7727147

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 a target of the subject; and (b) wherein the control mechanism is further configured and adapted to determine whether the performance of the at least one sensor extending through the self-sealing membrane 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 and into direct contact with a target of the subject, and (2) retract the deteriorated sensor back through the self-sealing membrane with the deteriorated sensor being retained fully embedded within the subject.