Insulin pump

More recent models may include disposable or semi-disposable designs for the pumping mechanism and may eliminate tubing from the infusion set.

[3] Therefore, pump users typically monitor their blood sugars more frequently to evaluate the effectiveness of insulin delivery.

Use of insulin pumps is increasing because of: In the early 1960s, Dr. Arnold Kadish, a physician working at Loma Linda University, developed a closed-loop device for blood glucose control using a double-lumen autoanalyzer to measure blood glucose linked to an intravenous insulin infusion pump.

Between 1978 and 1988, Robert Channon, working with Guy's Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary, developed a series of miniature insulin infusion pumps.

[14] The insulin pump was first endorsed in the United Kingdom in 2003 by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

By pumping with a "spike" shape, the expected action is the fastest possible bolus for that type of insulin.

The super bolus is useful for certain foods (like sugary breakfast cereals) which cause a large post-prandial peak of blood sugar.

It attacks the blood sugar peak with the fastest delivery of insulin that can be practically achieved by pumping.

Changes in blood glucose level are compensated with adjustments in the morning basal rate.

Once the basal rate is matched to the fasting basal insulin need, the pump user will then gain the flexibility to skip or postpone meals such as sleeping late on the weekends or working overtime on a weekday.

Many factors can change insulin requirements and require an adjustment to the basal rate: A pump user should be educated by their diabetes care professional about basal rate determination before beginning pump therapy.

Examples when this is helpful include: In August 2011, an IBM researcher, Jay Radcliffe, demonstrated a security flaw in insulin pumps.

Insulin pump in use
Diabetic child wearing a state-of-the-art insulin pump (referred to as a "patch pump"). His waterproof device needs no one infusion set
Filling an insulin pump reservoir. (Left to right) 1: Reservoir in sterile packaging. 2: Filling the reservoir. 3: Reservoir with needle and plunger removed, ready for attachment to infusion set.