Insulin therapy | Modes of insulin administration | Objectives of pump insulin therapy
What is pump insulin therapy
Pump insulin therapy is a continuous subcutaneous administration of insulin using a special device – an insulin pump.
It is important to remember that the pump does not work in automatic mode, you need to independently calculate the amount of carbohydrates consumed, measure the blood glucose level and, together with the doctor, set or change the pump settings.
A pump is a device that mimics the functioning of the pancreas. The pump introduces ultrashort insulin analogues (Humalog, Novorapid, Apidra). Insulin enters the subcutaneous fat 24 hours a day.
Modes of insulin administration
There are 2 main modes of insulin administration – basal and bolus.
- In the basal regimen, insulin enters the body constantly in very small doses at a certain rate. In this mode, you can program different rates of insulin administration depending on the time of day. If you inject insulin with a syringe pen, then on the pump, this mode replaces the long-acting insulin injection.
- Bolus insulin is given as a meal or to correct high blood glucose.
This device consists of the pump itself with an interchangeable reservoir with insulin inside it and an infusion system including a cannula for subcutaneous administration of insulin, a tube system for connecting the reservoir to the cannula. From the device (pump), where the reservoir with insulin is located, the hormone passes through the catheter into the subcutaneous fat.
There are pumps in which the cannula is located directly below the device, so they do not have a catheter. Such pumps are called plaster pumps and are less common.
Important! The infusion system should be changed every 48-72 hours.
Objectives of pump insulin therapy
- Improve glucose control.
- Improve the quality of life.
- Make insulin administration more convenient.
- Reduce the risk of developing or progressing chronic diabetes complications.
- To simplify the solution of certain situations due to the functions of the pump, for example, monitoring glucose levels during illness days, during sports, etc.
- Solve the problem of the “morning dawn”, (raising glucose levels in the early morning hours).
- Achieve your target blood glucose after eating by using different types of bolus insulin.