Table 2.

Main technical characteristics of Freestyle Libre, Dexcom G6 and Medtronic CGM sensors. [Adapted by ECRI Institute]

MANUFACTURER		Abbott Diabetes Care Div Abbott Laboratories Inc FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System	Dexcom Inc G6 CGM System	Medtronic Diabetes USA Div Medtronic Inc Guardian Sensor 3 with Guardian Connect
SAMPLE TYPE		Interstitial fluid	Interstitial fluid	Interstitial fluid
MEASUREMENT RANGE, mg/dL		40–500	40–400	40–400
SENSOR
	Life, days	≤ 14	≤ 10	≤ 7
	Type	Filament	Transcutaneous	Transcutaneous
	Placement	Back of upper arm	Abdomen (adult), abdomen and upper buttocks (paediatric)	Abdomen and arm
TRANSMITTER
	Water resistant	Submerged ≤ 1 m (3 ft) and 30 min	Submerged ≤ 2.4 m (8 ft) and ≤ 24 h, IP28	IPX8
	Operating time, hr	348	3 months	170
RECEIVER
	Smartphone compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Display type	LCD	Not specified	NA (depends on phone)
	Frequency of glucose readings shown	Every min (stored every 15 min)	Every 5 min	Every 5 min
	Rechargeable/replaceable Battery	Rechargeable	Rechargeable	NA (depends on phone)
	Life, days	7	2	NA (depends on phone)
	Memory: Number of stored readings with timestamp	90 days of normal use including continuous glucose readings (stored every 15 min) and daily blood glucose results	30 days of data	90 days via Mobile App
DATA MANAGEMENT
	Software	FreeStyle Libre	Dexcom Clarity (web-based diabetes management software, automatically uploads data when using a smart device)	CareLink Professional
	Patient input	Food, insulin, exercise, medication, ≤ 6 customizable notes; reminders, 3 predefined (check glucose, take insulin, alarm) and ≤ 9 reminders customizable through software	Carbohydrates, exercise, insulin, health events	Event markers for meals, insulin injections, exercise, blood glucose
ALERT INDICATORS, TYPE		Audible or vibrating	Audible, vibrating, visual	Audible or vibrating
ALARMS
	High/low glucose concentration	No	Yes	Yes
	Rate of change	No	Yes	Yes
	Predictive	No	Yes	Yes