Insulin pump

People suffering from a disease such as diabetes mellitus, sometimes it is quite difficult because of the need to regularly make insulin injections. The fact is that the need to inject the necessary medicine sometimes arises in a completely uncomfortable place, for example, in transport. For a person with this disease it can be difficult psychologically.

However, modern medicine does not stand still. At present, there is a device that helps to cope with this problem - an insulin pump.

What is it?

The insulin pump is a small device that runs on batteries and injects a certain dose of insulin into the human body. The required dose and periodicity are set in the device's memory. And this should be done by the attending physician, tk.all parameters are individual for each person.

This device consists of several parts:

• Pump. It is a pump with the help of which insulin is supplied, and a computer in which the entire control system of the apparatus is located;
• Cartridge. This is the container in which insulin is located;
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• Infusion set. It includes a thin needle( cannula), through which insulin is injected under the skin and tubes in order to connect the container to the cannula with insulin. To change all this is necessary every three days;
• Well, of course, you need batteries.

A catheter with a cannula is attached using a patch where the insulin is normally injected with syringes, i. E.hips, abdomen, shoulders. The device itself is fixed on the belt of the patient's clothes with the help of a special clip.

The container in which the insulin is located must be changed immediately after its termination so as not to disrupt the drug delivery schedule.

Pump insulin therapy is very convenient for children, because the dose that they need is not very large, and the errors in the calculations with the introduction can lead to negative consequences of .And this device allows you to calculate the required amount of medicine with very high accuracy.

This device must be set up by a physician. He introduces the necessary parameters and teaches the person the correct use. Independently it should not be done, in fact only one small mistake can lead to irreversible consequences, and even a diabetic coma.

The pump can only be removed while swimming. But right after that, a person with diabetes needs to measure the blood sugar level to make sure that the level is not critical.

Modes of operation

In view of the fact that each person is individual, there are two types of pump insulin therapy. The device can work in two modes:

• basal;
• bolus;

In the first case, the supply of insulin to the human body is continuous. The device is adjusted individually, which allows you to maintain the necessary level of the hormone in the body throughout the day. The doctor will adjust the device in such a way that insulin is delivered at a certain rate at the marked intervals. The minimum step is from 0.1 units.at one o'clock.

There are several levels of basal insulin delivery:

• Daytime.
• Night. As a rule, at this time the body needs less insulin.
• Morning. In this period, on the contrary, the body's need for insulin rises.

These levels can be configured together with the doctor once, and then select the one that is needed at a given time.

A bolus is a certain one-time intake of an insulin hormone to normalize a sharply increased amount of sugar in the blood.

There are several types of boluses:

• Standard. At the same time, the correct dosage of insulin is administered once. Usually used if food is eaten with a lot of carbohydrates and small - proteins. Such a bolus quickly restores the normal sugar content in the blood.
• Square. When using this type of insulin is slowly distributed in the body. The time during which the hormone will act in the body will increase. This kind is good to use if the food is saturated with proteins and fats.
• Double. In this case, the two previous views are used at the same time. Those. First, a sufficiently high initial dose is introduced, and the end of its action becomes longer. This form is best used when taking fatty and high-carbohydrate foods.
• Great. In this case, the action of the standard form increases. Used when eating food, because of which sugar in the blood very quickly increases.

The specialist will select the necessary way of introducing insulin for each patient individually.

Indications

Pump insulin therapy is becoming very popular. Anyone who suffers from diabetes mellitus can use it. However, there are certain indications in which doctors advise using this method. For example:

• If the glucose level is very unstable, i.e.often sharply increases or decreases.
• If a person often has signs of hypoglycemia, i.e. The glucose level falls below 3.33 mmol / l.
• If the patient is under 18 years of age. It is often difficult for a child to establish a certain dose of insulin, and the error in the amount of hormone administered can lead to even greater problems.
• If a woman is planning a pregnancy, or if she is already pregnant.
• If there is a syndrome of "morning dawn" - a sharp rise in the level of sugar in the blood before awakening.
• If a person has to administer insulin frequently and in small doses.
• If the patient himself wants to use an insulin pump.
• With severe disease and complications resulting from it.
• To people who lead an active lifestyle.

Contraindications

This device has its own contraindications:

• This device is not used in people with any kind of mental illness. It is justified by the fact that a person can use the pump quite inadequately, which leads to more complex health problems.
• When a person does not want or can not learn how to properly treat their disease, i.e.refuses to take into account the glycemic index of products, the rules of using the apparatus and the choice of the necessary form of insulin administration.
• The pump does not use long-acting insulin, only a short one, and can lead to a sharp jump in blood sugar if you disable the .
• With very low vision. It will be difficult for a person to read the inscriptions on the pump screen.

Pros

This small device has many advantages:

• The patient's quality of life improves. A person does not need to constantly worry about not forgetting to inject in time, insulin itself is constantly fed into the body.
• Pumps use short-acting insulin, which allows you not to severely restrict yourself in the diet.
• Using this device allows a person not to flaunt his disease, especially if it is psychologically important for him.
• Thanks to this device, the required dose is calculated with special accuracy, in contrast to the use of insulin syringes. In addition, the patient can choose the mode of hormone injection that he needs at the moment.
• The undoubted advantage is that the use of such a device can reduce the number of painful punctures of the skin.

Cons

However, the insulin pump also has negative aspects, which also need to be known. For example:

• High cost. Maintenance of such a device is quite expensive, since consumables need to be changed frequently.
• Inflammation can occur in the areas of the injections.
• It is necessary to constantly monitor the operation of the pump, the state of the batteries, so that the device does not shut down at the wrong time.
• As this is an electronic device, technical malfunctions are possible. As a result, a person has to inject himself with insulin in other ways to normalize his condition.
• One device does not cure the disease. It is necessary to adhere to the right way of life, to monitor blood sugar level, to observe the norm of grain units in the diet.

Cost and how to get free

Unfortunately, at present the insulin pump is a very expensive device. Its price can reach up to 200 000 rubles. Plus, every month you need to buy the necessary supplies, and this is about 10 thousand rubles. Not every person can afford this, especially since diabetics usually take a lot of expensive medicines.

However, you can get this device for free. To do this, you need to collect some documents that confirm the need to use this device for normal life.

Pump insulin therapy is necessary for children with diabetes so that there are no errors in dosing the hormone. In order to receive a pump for the child for free, it is necessary to write to the Russian Assistance Fund. To the letter it is necessary to attach the following:

• certificate on the financial situation of parents from the place of work of mother and father;
• an extract from the pension fund about the accrual of funds if the child was given a disability;
• birth certificate;
• the conclusion of the attending physician about the diagnosis( with the seal and signature of a specialist);
• response of the municipal institution in case of failure of local protection authorities;
• several baby pictures.

Get an insulin pump for free is still difficult, but most importantly - do not give up and seek the necessary health for the device.

Currently, this device has the same number of positive and negative sides, but the production of medical equipment does not stand in one place, but is constantly evolving. And maybe in a few years the insulin pump will become available if not for everyone, then for many people suffering from this terrible disease - diabetes. However, it is worth remembering that one device from the disease can not be saved, it is necessary to comply with other appointments of doctors and adhere to a healthy lifestyle and diet.