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GU I D E to Y E L L OW S P R I NG S | 2O22 – 2O23 45 Derivative designs are still used to this day all over the world.” 23A AND BEYOND: YSI AND XYLEM TODAY Nowadays, Model 23A is no more. Only its legacy remains. Around 1989, its successor, Model 2300 STAT came on the scene. It measured both glucose and lactate. It had a microprocessor and a more automated interface that made the machine more user friendly. Then, what followed was the 2300 STAT+, a more refined version of its predecessor. But in 2016, Xylem, now the parent company of YSI, opted to discontinue the device. The current head of product development at Xylem, Chris Werner, in an interview, cited a diminishing demand from clinicians and “prohibitive” FDA regulations on biosensors that led Xylem to stop manufacturing 2300 STAT+s and similar machines. There are, however, still many 2300 STAT+s in use around the world, said Werner. YSI still provides replacement parts and ser- vices to those machines when needed. This discontinuation coin - cided with the shift in tech - nological focus at YSI when Xylem — formerly ITT Corp. — purchased the company in 2011. Whereas YSI was previ - ously interested in developing and manufacturing medical instruments and biochemi- cal analysis devices, Xylem ushered in an era centered around water quality testing devices. “But life sciences continues to be in the background at Xylem,” said Werner. Brunsman added that one of the fatal shortcomings of Model 23A and its successors was that the machines never went commercial — they were only for clinical use. This, as Brunsman saw it, was the result of a certain sect of physicians never seeing the importance in their patients knowing the precise number of their glucose levels. Instead, as these physicians saw it, patients only need to know a general trend — whether their blood sugar levels are rising or dropping. “By and large, doctors seem to be satisfied with the finger stick and the little take-home strips people can do on themselves,” Brunsman said. “They thought that’s enough information for their patients. Any more data, and patients might get overwhelmed with the information an instru - ment is providing them. To my knowledge, doctors still believe this now.” Brunsman sees things differ - ently. He believes knowing a precise number could poten- tially save lives — especially as the number of people living with diabetes continues to rise. “One time I was in the hospital and my blood pres- sure had dropped. By the time [doctors] had given me medi - cation for it, my pressure had returned to normal. So there I am — blood pressure then going through the ceiling. I thought my head was going to come off. Their timing was just terrible. You need to know what your blood sugar is right then and there. Our machine was designed to do just that.” These days, Brunsman is still living in the village with his wife, Becky. Although he retired from YSI in 1996, he remains focused on hashing out some of the complexi- ties he and his team at YSI encountered in their projects. More recently, on his own time, Brunsman and some partners have been brainstorming ways modern technology could be inte- grated with the mechanics of the Clark electrode system — particularly by building an implant that could provide a user with consistent and accurate glucose readings. He remains deeply troubled by all the physicians and patients who are content with having a vague notion of blood sugar levels; he still preaches the need for absolute accuracy. Brunsman is still riding the momentum that was generated at YSI, right at the outset of his career in the early ‘70s. He recalls the spirit of innovation and ambition among his fellow instrumentalists, and tries to harness that same energy in pushing the boundaries of what can be measured and to what greater degrees of accuracy. In a perfect world, Brunsman said, every diabetic would have their own personal glucose measurement device, like Model 23A — one that didn’t cause pain or discom - fort — that would reconnect users to their bodies, not paint a vague picture of what might be going on under the surface. “It’d be fantastic,” he said. “It’d save so many lives.” ♦ at First Presbyterian Church • 314 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs Chamber Music inYellow Springs Presenting Our FULL 2022-23 Season Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, 4 p.m. Horszowski Trio Violin, cello, piano — 3 Virtuosi! “Eloquent and enthralling.” (Boston Globe) Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, 4 p.m. Dalí Quartet “Exuberant, high-spirited deliveries, sensitivities and audience appeal.” (Virginia Gazette) Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, 4 p.m. Catacoustic Consort Early music performed with passionate authenticity, on period instruments with voice Sunday, April 2, 2023, 4 p.m. Dover Quartet w/Bassist Joseph Conyers “String quartet Nirvana.” (Santa Fe New Mexican) ; “One of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years.” (BBC Music Magazine) Sunday, April 30, 2023, 4 p.m. 38th Annual Competition for Emerging Ensembles CMYS will follow all CDC guidelines in our 2022–23 season. Concerts are broadcast at a later date on “Live and Local,” Saturday mornings by CMYS’ s media sponsor, WDPR 88.1/ WDPG 89.9 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and look for further information in the Yellow Springs News! Tickets & Information: www.cmys.org or 937-374-8800 A gallery store for readers and writers PO BOX 6, YELLOW SPRINGS, OH 45387 PH 937-470-1867 sameckenrode @ gmail.com follow us on and Need a book, journal, puzzle, or other safely delivered gift? Check out www.Bookshop.org/shop/ SamandEddiesOpenBooks Need a digital audiobook? Check out www.Libro.fm/samandeddies