Accuracy of continuous glucose sensors

1. A method of improving accuracy of an analyte sensor by accounting for a difference caused by a physiological time lag between a blood glucose value and an interstitial fluid glucose value, the method comprising:

receiving raw output from the analyte sensor, wherein the raw output comprises a plurality of data sets;

preprocessing the plurality of data sets;

obtaining an initial calibration of the analyte sensor; and

determining an estimated blood glucose value from the preprocessed plurality of data sets using the initial calibration of the analyte sensor, wherein the estimated blood glucose value is based on one or more interstitial fluid glucose proportionality coefficients and a time derivative of the raw output, wherein the estimated blood glucose value is indicative of a real-time estimated blood glucose value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein preprocessing the plurality of data sets comprises regressing or filtering the plurality of data sets to remove noise and random spikes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein preprocessing the plurality of data sets further comprises applying a filter based upon a clinically-observed blood glucose rate-of-change and Bayesian estimation techniques.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein preprocessing the plurality of data sets further comprises applying Kalman filter-based methods.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the time derivative of the raw output.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining the time derivative of the raw output comprises applying a short-interval polynomial smoothing technique using exponential weights to the plurality of data sets.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time derivative of the raw output comprises a rate of change of a glucose value in an interstitial fluid.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated blood glucose value is determined retrospectively.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data sets is indicative of a glucose value in an interstitial fluid at a plurality of sample times, and wherein the estimated blood glucose value is indicative of a blood glucose value at the plurality of sample times.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the analyte sensor is part of a continuous glucose monitoring system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated blood glucose value is determined by a portable computing device in wired or wireless communication with the analyte sensor.

12. A system for improving accuracy of an analyte sensor by accounting for a difference caused by a physiological time lag between a blood glucose value and an interstitial fluid glucose value, the system comprising:

an analyte sensor configured to generate raw output comprising a plurality of data sets;

at least one processing unit; and

memory coupled to the at least one processing unit, wherein the memory is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to preprocess the plurality of data sets, obtain an initial calibration of the analyte sensor, and determine an estimated blood glucose value from the preprocessed plurality of data sets using the initial calibration of the analyte sensor,

wherein the estimated blood glucose value is based on one or more interstitial fluid glucose proportionality coefficients and a time derivative of the raw output, wherein the estimated blood glucose value is indicative of a real-time estimated blood glucose value.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to preprocess the plurality of data sets by regressing or filtering the plurality of data sets to remove noise and random spikes.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to determine the time derivative of the raw output.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the time derivative of the raw output comprises a rate of change of a glucose value in an interstitial fluid.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of data sets is indicative of a glucose value in an interstitial fluid at a plurality of sample times, and wherein the estimated blood glucose value is indicative of a blood glucose value at the plurality of sample times.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the analyte sensor is coupled to the at least one processing unit and the memory.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processing unit and the memory are disposed in a portable computing device in wired or wireless communication with the analyte sensor.