---
title: A New Wearable Tracks Ketones and Glucose Together to Warn of Ketoacidosis Early
description: The FDA has authorized Abbott's Libre Duo, the first wearable to track ketones and glucose together and warn of a ketoacidosis emergency early.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-25T23:17:15.289Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/abbott-libre-duo-glucose-ketone-sensor-fda
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/abbott-libre-duo-glucose-ketone-sensor-206929.webp
categories: Everyday Wellness
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Rich Health Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

US regulators have authorized the first wearable that continuously monitors both ketones and blood sugar, a device that can alert people with diabetes to rising ketones well before those levels turn into a diabetic ketoacidosis emergency. The Libre Duo 10 Day, made by Abbott, reads glucose in real time for everyday decisions and tracks ketones in the background at the same time, so a person wears one sensor and gets both. The FDA authorized it through its De Novo pathway with a Breakthrough Device designation, and it is the first device to meet both the agency's iCGM standard for glucose monitors and a new integrated glucose and ketone monitoring standard. Abbott calls it the world's first dual glucose-ketone sensing wearable, and the claim holds: continuous monitors from Dexcom and Medtronic follow glucose only, and an earlier European sensor tracks ketones alone.

Ketones are the reading continuous monitors have not offered until now. When the body runs short of insulin, it burns fat for fuel and floods the blood with ketones and acid, a state that can progress into DKA within hours and, untreated, can lead to coma or death. DKA is the most frequent hyperglycemic emergency among people with diabetes, and hospital admissions for it have [risen about 55% over the past decade](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11343900/). A continuous ketone monitor is meant to flag that rise early, while a person can still act on it.

> "If glucose is the speedometer, ketones are like the check engine light, providing an alert that something may need attention."
> — Chris Scoggins, executive vice president, Abbott diabetes care

## The Sensor Is Aimed at People at the Highest Risk

The device is for people with diabetes ages 2 and older, and Abbott is aiming it at those most likely to see ketones climb: people with Type 1 diabetes, and people with Type 2 who use insulin or glucose-lowering drugs such as SGLT2 inhibitors. It works with the existing Libre app, sends readings to LibreView for a person's healthcare provider and to LibreLinkUp for a caregiver, and lasts up to 10 days per sensor.

"As a physician, I see how quickly DKA can develop, and how often early warning signs or opportunities to measure ketones are missed," said Dr. Jennifer Sherr, a pediatric endocrinologist at Yale School of Medicine. Sherr said the dual system is useful because "ketone data is collected in the background, helping provide earlier awareness of rising ketone levels."

## A High Ketone Reading Does Not Always Mean an Emergency

Ketones rise for ordinary reasons too, including exercise, illness and everyday metabolic stress, not only from a lack of insulin. A single high reading does not by itself mean DKA is developing, and continuous ketone data on its own cannot separate someone who has exercised hard but has enough insulin from someone who is truly short of it. The sensor is an alert tool, not a treatment, and no large real-world trial has yet shown that home continuous ketone monitoring reduces DKA hospitalizations. Diabetes experts writing in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology are still working out the ketone thresholds that should prompt action, which vary by age and medication.

## The Launch and Pump Integration Stretch Into 2027

Abbott plans to launch the sensor in the United States later this year, and it received a CE Mark in Europe for the dual sensor earlier in 2026. More than 8 million people across 60-plus countries already use Abbott's Libre glucose monitors, though traditional continuous glucose monitors still reach only about a third of people with Type 1 diabetes and far fewer with Type 2. The bigger change, automated insulin delivery that could respond to ketone data, arrives in stages. Abbott says integration with Beta Bionics' iLet and Sequel Med Tech's twiist pumps is expected by the end of 2026, with Insulet and Tandem in 2027 and an exclusive integration with Medtronic's MiniMed in 2027. The wider category is moving this way, from glucose-only sensors toward monitors that read several markers at once, and this is the first to reach the market.

## FAQ

**Q: Can you have DKA when your blood sugar looks normal?**
Yes, which is part of why continuous ketone data adds something a glucose number cannot. Ketones can climb even when glucose is not alarming, a risk that is higher for people taking SGLT2 inhibitors, so a reassuring glucose reading alone can miss a rise a dual sensor would catch.

**Q: How is continuous ketone monitoring different from a finger-prick ketone test?**
A blood or finger-prick ketone test is a single snapshot a person takes when they already suspect a problem. The Libre Duo 10 Day reads ketones in the background over up to 10 days with no extra step, so it can flag a rise before someone thinks to test.

**Q: Will insurance cover a continuous ketone monitor?**
Continuous glucose monitors are generally covered for insulin-treated patients, but coverage for this new dual glucose-ketone sensor is not yet settled and Abbott has not announced pricing. Expect the details to firm up around the US launch later this year.