Use of artificial pancreas and portable insulin infusion pumps in diabetes therapy: past, present, and future.

The development of the artificial pancreas (AP) was an important contribution to modern diabetology. The practical and theoretical findings obtained by its application in type I diabetic patients gave rise to new forms of treatment, i.e., portable insulin pumps and intensified conventional insulin therapy. Although these therapies lead to better results than conventional insulin administration, there is no doubt that the problems of diabetes therapy can be solved only by an implantable AP or pancreas transplantation.