Analyte sensor apparatuses comprising multiple implantable sensor elements and methods for making and using them

1. An apparatus for monitoring glucose concentrations in a patient, the apparatus comprising:

a flexible sensor substrate adapted to secure the apparatus to the patient;

a first piercing member coupled to and extending from the flexible sensor substrate, wherein the first piercing member is operatively coupled to a first electrochemical sensor comprising a first electrochemical sensor electrode for measuring glucose concentrations at a first electrochemical sensor placement site;

a second piercing member coupled to and extending from the flexible sensor substrate, wherein the second piercing member is operatively coupled to a second electrochemical sensor comprising:

a second electrochemical sensor electrode for determining at least one physiological characteristic of the patient at a second electrochemical sensor placement site;

a processor capable of characterizing a plurality of signals received from the first and second electrochemical sensors, wherein:

the processor is capable of comparing a first signal received from a working electrode in response to a first working potential with a second signal received from a working electrode in response to a second working potential;

at least one working potential is 280, 535 or 635 millivolts;

the first piercing member disposes the first electrochemical sensor in a first tissue compartment of the patient and the second piercing member disposes the second electrochemical sensor in a second tissue compartment of the patient; and

the first and second piercing members are disposed on the flexible sensor substrate in a configuration selected to avoid a physiological response to the implantation of the first electrochemical sensor from affecting a sensor signal generated by the second electrochemical sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second electrochemical sensor comprise:

an elongated base layer;

a conductive layer disposed on the base layer and comprising a reference electrode, a working electrode and a counter electrode;

an analyte sensing layer disposed on the conductive layer;

an analyte modulating layer disposed on the analyte sensing layer, wherein the analyte modulating layer comprises a composition that modulates the diffusion of an analyte diffusing through the analyte modulating layer; and

a cover layer comprising an aperture positioned on the cover layer so as to facilitate:

an analyte present in the patient contacting and diffusing through the analyte modulating layer; and

contacting the analyte sensing layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrochemical sensor comprises a working electrode coated with glucose oxidase and the second electrochemical sensor comprises no working electrode coated with glucose oxidase and the processor is capable of obtaining information on glucose concentrations in the patient by comparing the signals received from said working electrodes so as to identify a background signal that is not based on a glucose concentrations in the patient.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the working electrode in the first and second electrochemical sensors are coated with glucose oxidase and the processor is capable of obtaining information on glucose concentrations in the patient by comparing the signals received from said working electrodes coated with glucose oxidase.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a pulsed voltage is used to obtain a signal from an electrode.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is capable of comparing a first signal received from a working electrode in response to a first working potential with a second signal received from a working electrode in response to a second working potential.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the first piercing member is operatively coupled to a first electrochemical sensor comprising:

an elongated base layer;

a conductive layer disposed on the elongated base layer and comprising a plurality of reference electrodes, a plurality of working electrodes and a plurality of counter electrodes; wherein:

the plurality of working electrodes, the plurality of counter electrodes and the plurality of references electrodes are clustered together in units consisting essentially of one working electrode, one counter electrode and one reference electrode; and

the clustered units are longitudinally distributed on the elongated base layer in a repeating pattern of units; and

wherein the second piercing member is operatively coupled to a second electrochemical sensor comprising:

an elongated base layer;

a conductive layer disposed on the elongated base layer and comprising a plurality of reference electrodes, a plurality of working electrodes and a plurality of counter electrodes; wherein:

the plurality of working electrodes, the plurality of counter electrodes and the plurality of references electrodes are clustered together in units consisting essentially of one working electrode, one counter electrode and one reference electrode; and

the clustered units are longitudinally distributed on the elongated base layer in a repeating pattern of units.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the working electrode, the counter electrode and the reference electrode in a unit are positionally distributed on the elongated base layer in a configuration arranged so that a first electrode is disposed in a region on a first edge of the elongated base layer; a second electrode is disposed in a region on an opposite edge of the elongated base layer; and a third is disposed in a region of the elongated base layer that between the first electrode and the second electrode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the electrode configuration is such that a longer side of at least one of the electrodes in a unit is parallel to a longer side of at least one of the other electrodes in the unit.