A pump is a great alternative to the technique of frequent daily injections with a syringe. The device carries out regular insulin therapy in combination with constant monitoring of the required amount of glucose and calculations of carbohydrates entering the body. An insulin pump for diabetes, what kind of device is it, how does it work, what are its pros, cons? Read about it and not only in the article.
What is a device?
A diabetes insulin pump is a small, battery-powered device that injects insulin into the blood of a sick person. Thanks to this device, the medicine freely enters the human body at the dose that it needs in order to maintain normal glucose levels.
Diabetes insulin pump: device principle
This dispenser is attached to the human body and is removed only if necessary, for example, for taking a bath, for a short time so as not to deviate from the implementation of the program. The introduction of the hormone is carried out using a remote control.
The catheter is attached with a patch on the stomach, and the unit itself with a capacity is held on the belt. New models of pumps do not have tubes, they contain a wireless power supply with a screen.
An insulin pump for diabetes allows you to enter the medicine in very small portions, which is important for sick children. Indeed, for them, even a slight error in the dosage can cause a negative reaction of the body.
This device is very convenient for patients who have sharp jumps in hormone levels during the day. You no longer need to do injections several times a day. There is no accumulation of excess insulin. Thanks to this dispenser, the patient begins to enjoy life, while knowing perfectly that the hormone will be administered on time.
Operating modes
This drug has two medication delivery orders:
1. Continuous administration of insulin in very small doses.
2. Patient programmable hormone inlet.
The first mode almost replaces the use of a long-acting drug. The second is introduced to patients immediately before eating food. It essentially replaces the short-acting hormone as part of conventional insulin therapy.
The catheter is replaced by the patient every 3 days.
Indications for use
An insulin pump for diabetes, the pictures of which are shown in this article, can be recommended to absolutely all categories of people, regardless of the age and severity of the disease. The sooner you start administering the hormone with this device, the easier it is to prevent the development of serious complications.
But especially doctors advise using a pump in such cases:
- With a deficiency in the normal compensation of carbohydrate metabolism against the background of frequent injections of insulin.
- With repeated exacerbations, this is when a person has a sharp drop in blood sugar, and this leads to a decrease in glucose utilization by brain tissue cells, and hypoxia of the head center results.
- In severe cases of the disease.
- If there is a pregnancy or is planned.
- In relation to children, as a more suitable method of replacement insulin therapy.
- With a kidney transplant.
- If the patient has a high sensitivity to insulin.
- If a person has a desire to improve the quality of his life.
Device installation
An insulin pump for diabetes, a photo of which can be found in medical sources, requires a certain sequence in the installation. To operate the device, it is necessary to adhere to the following sequence:
- Open an empty tank.
- Take out the piston.
- Insert the needle into the ampoule with insulin.
- Introduce air from the container into the vessel in order to avoid the occurrence of vacuum during the intake of a hormone of peptide nature.
- Introduce insulin into the reservoir using a piston, then the needle must be removed.
- Squeeze air bubbles out of the vessel.
- Remove the piston.
- Attach the reservoir to the infusion set tube.
- Identify the assembled unit in the pump and fill the tube (drive insulin and air bubbles). In this case, the pump must be disconnected from the person in order to avoid accidental supply of a hormone of peptide nature.
- Connect to the injection site.
The advantages of the device
The diabetes insulin pump is a new generation device that has the following benefits:
1. The unit significantly improves the quality of life of the patient, while freeing him from the need to make injections in limited conditions.
2. The accuracy of the calculation of the required dose of the drug is done automatically without the participation of a diabetic.
3. If you need to change the parameters of the device, then there is no need to go to the doctor - the patient can make his own adjustments.
4. A significant reduction in the number of skin punctures.
5. The presence of continuous monitoring of glucose: if the sugar goes off scale, the pump gives the patient a signal.
Device disadvantages
Now we will pass to minuses of work of this device. Unfortunately, they are and are expressed in the following:
1. The high cost of the device.
2. The dispenser may malfunction in the program.
And the use of insulin pump is prohibited for the following categories of people:
1. Persons with very low vision, as the patient should regularly monitor the operation of the device by reading the incoming information from the display.
2. People with serious mental disorders.
3. Persons who cannot independently control the level of glucose in the blood at least 4 times a day.
Opinions of people
The diabetes insulin pump reviews vary. Someone is pleased with this latest invention, arguing that with the help of the device you can forget about the diagnosis and lead a normal lifestyle. Many people are delighted that the injection can be done in a crowded place, and also in terms of cleanliness, the process is safe. Also, patients note that due to such a device, the dose of insulin used is slightly reduced. An important point that patients pay attention to is that the consequences of insulin injections are getting smaller: no bumps or bruises appear.
But the insulin pump for diabetes has negative reviews. For example, there are people who believe that there is no particular difference between such a dispenser and a syringe pen. Like, the device is constantly hanging, but the usual medical instrument needs to be removed only before use. Also, some are unhappy with the size of the new device, they say, it’s not so tiny, anyway, under clothes it can be seen. And still get the usual needle and remove the entire unit still have to at least 2 times a day to wash.
Well, most of the negative feedback is associated with the high cost of the pump and the high cost of its maintenance. This device will be affordable only for wealthy people, but for an ordinary Russian citizen who has a monthly income of around 10 thousand rubles, this device will be clearly unavailable. After all, only about its maintenance per month can take about 5 thousand rubles.
Popular models, device cost and selection rules
The insulin pump for diabetes, the photo of which is clearly demonstrated in this article, has a different price. Depending on the manufacturer, the characteristics of the device, as well as a set of functions, the price of the device ranges from 25-120 thousand rubles. The most popular models: Medtronic, Dana Diabecare, Omnipod.
Before choosing a particular brand of pump, you need to pay attention to the following items:
1. The volume of the tank. It is important to find out if the device will contain enough insulin to last 3 days.
2. The brightness and contrast of the screen. If a person does not see letters and numbers from the screen, then he may misinterpret the information coming from the device, and then the patient has problems.
3. Built-in calculator. For simplicity and convenience, an insulin pump for diabetes should have this parameter.
4. Critical signal. The patient needs to hear sound well or feel vibrations.
5. Water resistant. This is an additional feature that is not available in all types of pumps, so if you want to carry out water procedures with the device, then it is advisable to inquire about this parameter of the device.
6. Convenience. One of the main points, because if a person is not comfortable wearing a dispenser in everyday life, then why buy it? After all, there is an alternative - a syringe pen. Therefore, before buying a device, you must try it first, try on.
Now you know what an insulin pump for diabetes is, you’ve got acquainted with the principle of its operation, with the pros and cons of the device. We found out that this is a great alternative to a syringe pen, however, some patients still do not like this device. Therefore, before purchasing such an expensive device, you need to weigh the pros and cons, read the reviews of people, try on a device and then decide: is it worth buying a new generation dispenser or you can do without it.