# A Catheter That Measures Glucose While Delivering Medication > This patent describes a medical system that combines a catheter for delivering medication with a continuous glucose sensor built directly onto its surface, allowing for simultaneous monitoring and therapy. - **Patent:** US 11382539 - **Original title:** Analyte sensor - **Owner:** Dexcom - **Granted:** 2022 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 0 - **Field:** biotech, medical_devices, telecommunications, software ## What it does This system measures glucose in a person while also delivering medication. It uses a catheter, which is a thin tube inserted into the body, designed to deliver medicine. A continuous glucose sensor is placed at least partially on the outside surface of this catheter, featuring a coiled reference electrode and a working electrode. This sensor generates data about glucose concentration, which sensor electronics then use to determine the actual glucose level. For example, the catheter could be connected to an infusion pump, and the sensor electronics could send a recommendation for insulin dosage to the pump based on the real-time glucose readings, as described in claim 7. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover a separate, unattached continuous glucose monitor used alongside a medication delivery catheter. - Does not cover a system where the glucose sensor is entirely inside the catheter's fluid pathway, rather than at least partially on its exterior surface. - Does not cover a glucose sensor that only measures glucose once, as the claims specify a 'continuous glucose sensor' and 'substantially continuously determine the glucose concentration'. - Does not cover a system where the sensor electronics cannot communicate therapy recommendations, such as insulin amounts, to an infusion pump. - Does not cover a catheter that only delivers medication without any integrated glucose sensing capability. ## The clever bit The truly clever part is integrating the continuous glucose sensor directly onto the exterior surface of a medication delivery catheter. This allows for simultaneous glucose measurement and drug delivery from a single point of entry, streamlining the process and enabling a more direct feedback loop for therapy adjustments. ## Real-world examples 1. Integrated continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and insulin pump systems 2. Future closed-loop artificial pancreas systems 3. Hospital-based intravenous glucose monitoring with drug infusion ## Why it matters This patent is significant because it integrates two crucial medical functions—continuous glucose monitoring and medication delivery—into a single device. This combination could simplify diabetes management, especially for individuals requiring frequent insulin adjustments. By providing real-time glucose data directly from the same insertion point as medication delivery, it could enable more precise and automated therapy, potentially reducing the burden on patients and caregivers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does A Catheter That Measures Glucose While Delivering Medication cover? This patent describes a medical system that combines a catheter for delivering medication with a continuous glucose sensor built directly onto its surface, allowing for simultaneous monitoring and therapy. ### Who owns patent US 11382539? Dexcom owns this patent, granted in 2022. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on October 11, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is significant because it integrates two crucial medical functions—continuous glucose monitoring and medication delivery—into a single device. This combination could simplify diabetes management, especially for individuals requiring frequent insulin adjustments. By providing real-time glucose data directly from the same insertion point as medication delivery, it could enable more precise and automated therapy, potentially reducing the burden on patients and caregivers. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover a separate, unattached continuous glucose monitor used alongside a medication delivery catheter. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11382539/analyte-sensor **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11382539 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How a Sensor Checks Itself for Accuracy Using Other Body Data](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20230263439/systems-and-methods-for-multi-analyte-sensing) — This patent describes a smart system that uses additional body measurements or relationships between different body chemicals to figure out if an analyte sensor, like a glucose monitor, is giving wrong readings and then fixes it or tells you to replace it. - [How Devices Precisely Track Glucose Across Body Compartments](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9854998/method-andor-system-for-multicompartment-analyte-monitoring) — This patent describes a method for accurately estimating a person's blood glucose by accounting for the natural time delay in how glucose moves between different body fluids, like blood and the fluid around cells, to better control insulin pumps. - [Tiny Implantable Sensor for Monitoring Body Chemistry](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12733845/implantable-micro-electrochemical-cell) — This patent describes a small, implantable sensor designed to continuously measure specific chemicals in a patient's body fluids for disease management. - [How Glucose Sensors Check Their Own Reliability for Insulin Pumps](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9282925/systems-and-methods-for-replacing-signal-artifacts-in-a-glucose-sensor-data-stre) — This patent describes a system that automatically checks how trustworthy a continuous glucose sensor's readings are and then adjusts how an insulin pump delivers medicine based on that trust level. - [How a Computer System Automatically Adjusts Blood Sugar in Real-Time](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8956321/computerized-system-for-blood-chemistry-monitoring) — This patent describes a computerized system that continuously monitors a patient's blood glucose and automatically adjusts insulin and dextrose delivery to keep blood sugar levels stable, especially for critically ill patients.