Diabetes Topics

MiniMed Paradigm 522 insulin pump with optional continuous glucose monitoring functionality shown

How Insulin Pump Therapy Works
An insulin pump is a small device that delivers insulin continuously to the body. About the size of a compact cell phone, it is worn outside the body in a pocket, underneath clothing in a leg pouch, bra pouch, or on your belt like a phone or MP3 player.

The insulin pump delivers insulin through a tiny, soft tube - thinner than a strand of spaghetti. At the end of the tube is an even smaller, softer tube called a cannula. It's about as long as your fingernail. With just one, virtually painless needlestick, the cannula goes under the skin and is ready to connect to the insulin pump. Usually, 12 of these infusion set insertions are required per month. These easy insertions eliminate the need for the standard 120 insulin injections that would be required with common multiple daily injection regimens.

Insulin is delivered around the clock, according to a programmed plan unique to each insulin pump wearer. A small amount of insulin is given continually (the "basal rate"). This insulin keeps blood glucose in the desired range between meals and over night. When food is eaten, the user programs the insulin pump to deliver a "bolus dose" of insulin matched to the amount of food that will be consumed.

The insulin pump is not automatic! The user still has to decide how much insulin will be given. But insulin pumps are the most accurate, precise, and flexible insulin delivery system currently available. Using the results of blood glucose monitoring, the experienced insulin pump user can use this tool to obtain excellent blood glucose control while living a normal lifestyle, free of the strict scheduling demands that are required by conventional insulin regimens.

Insulin pumps are also becoming more advanced. In 2006, Medtronic Diabetes introduced the world's first system to integrate insulin pump therapy with continuous glucose monitoring, providing even better control, flexibility, and health.

Why It Works Better
Pump therapy is simple. It's based on what your body does naturally - deliver small amounts of insulin all the time - and then when you eat, you deliver a little extra to cover that food (whether a single cookie or Thanksgiving Dinner!)

Here's why pumps are better than injections
No. 1: The Pump Uses Fast-Acting Insulin
If you're on injections, long-acting insulin is usually what you'll give yourself first thing in the morning. Absorption of injected long-acting insulin is extremely unpredictable. In fact, it has a variability of up to 52%.1 This is a key reason your blood sugar can vary so much from one day to the next. That single factor probably accounts for why most people on injections can't control their blood sugars well.

Pumps use fast-acting insulin which is much more predictable than long-acting insulin. It's variability is less than 3%.1 Quite a difference. And it works. That's why a pancreas only puts out fast-acting insulin. That's why pumps use fast-acting insulin.

No. 2: The Pump Delivers Insulin in micro-drops, that are continuous and accurate.
With injections, the insulin just sits there... in a little pool. Your level of activity directly affects when that insulin goes into your bloodstream. If you're just sitting at a desk, it will go into your system more slowly. But if you go for a walk or a run, it will go into your system much more quickly. This makes blood sugars even harder to control with injections!

Pumps continuously send a little bit of insulin every few minutes (like a pancreas) so you don't have this inconsistency problem. And it's a different insulin - fast-acting, predictable insulin!

No. 3: You can eat when you want.
Because you can control your insulin on a pump, YOU (not your injections) get to decide when you want to eat. You can eat when you are hungry - or not - delay or skip a meal. Have that extra piece of pie if you like - on a pump you can handle it - no problem.

No. 4: Live a more normal life

No more injections, no rigid meal scheduling, no more unpredictable insulin... this all adds up to is a more normal life.