Analyzing the Hypoglycaemic Risk of Implantable Glucose Biofuel Cells in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Using Glucose-Insulin Simulation Models

Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers have limited battery life and require costly replacement surgeries. Researchers are exploring body energy harvesting approaches such as glucose biofuel cells (GBFCs) to power these devices. In this paper, the hypoglycemic risk of implantable glucose biofuel cells in humans is investigated. A GBFC model was incorporated into a glucose-insulin system simulation model for diabetic and non-diabetic persons under different device loading conditions. Results showed that the GBFC power drain correlated to an increased hypoglycemic risk, particularly for low carbohydrate diets, both for normal and Type 2 diabetic patients. However, in general, for Type 2 diabetic patients, the GBFC aided in maintaining the blood sugar level. These findings provide important insights into the use of GBFCs in diabetic and non-diabetic patients and highlight the need for further research on GBFC designs to mitigate the hypoglycaemic risks associated with their use.