After reading
"Devices To Take Insulin"
Devices currently available:
Insulin pens can be helpful if you take at least three doses of insulin a day and want the convenience of carrying insulin with you. An insulin pen is a device that looks like a pen with a cartridge that holds 100 to 200 units of insulin. A fine, short needle, similar to the needle on an insulin syringe, is on the tip of the pen. Users turn a dial to select the desired dose of insulin and press a plunger on the end to deliver the insulin just under the skin.
Insulin jet injectors, which look like large pens, send a fine spray of insulin through the skin by a high pressure air mechanism. Insulin jet injectors are costly, so try out several models before you purchase one.
External insulin pumps attach to the body through narrow, flexible plastic tubing, with a needle inserted just under the skin near the abdomen. The insulin pump is about the size of a deck of cards, weighs about 4 to 6 ounces, and can be worn on a belt or in a pocket. A refillable cartridge holds enough insulin for about 2 days. The needle and tubing should be changed every 2 days as well. Users set the pump to give a steady trickle or "basal" amount of insulin continuously throughout the day. Most pumps today have the option to set several basal rates. Users inject "bolus" doses of insulin (several units at a time) at meals and at times when blood sugar is too high. Frequent blood glucose monitoring is essential to determine insulin dosages and to ensure that insulin is delivered.
Insulin delivery methods under development
Implantable insulin pumps are surgically implanted, usually on the left side of the abdomen. The pump is disk shaped and weighs about 6 to 8 ounces. The pump delivers a basal dose of insulin continuously throughout the day. Users deliver bolus insulin doses with a handheld telemetry unit that instructs the pump to give the specified amount of insulin.
An advantage of this method is that, like insulin produced naturally from the pancreas, the insulin from the pump goes directly to the liver to prevent excess sugar production there.
The insulin patch, placed on the skin, gives a continuous low dose of insulin. To adjust insulin doses before meals, users can pull off a tab on the patch to release insulin. The problem with the patch is that insulin does not get through the skin easily.
Additional Information on Alternative Methods of Insulin Delivery
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on diabetes for Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.
To provide you with the most up-to-date resources, information specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic search of CHID. To obtain this information you may view the results of the automatic search on Alternative Methods of Insulin Delivery.
Or, if you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may access the CHID Online web site and search CHID yourself.
Acknowledgments
Doctors Corner acknowledges the NIDDK as the primary source for this publication. This webpage has been modified by Doctors Corner to enhance readability and provide additional information of importance to our readers.
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