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Insulin Pump Therapy
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Choosing an Insulin Pump
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Pump Features to Consider
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Insulin Pump Therapy
How to Use this Learning Module
Module Overview
1: The Key to Blood Sugar Control
2: What is an Insulin Pump?
What is an Insulin Pump?
What an insulin pump won't do
What an insulin pump looks like
3: Comparing Injections and Pumps
Comparing Injections and Pumps
Some Similarities
Bolus and Correction Differences
Basal Insulin Differences
Basal Insulin Differences
Basal Insulin Delivery
Basal Rates
Basal Dose Adjustment
Knowledge Check
4: Healthy Eating on Pump Therapy
5: Risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Safety Kit and Precautions
6: Insulin Pump Advantages and Challenges
Insulin Pump Advantages and Challenges
Pump Advantages - Knowledge Check
Challenges of Insulin Pump Therapy
7: What to Expect when Starting a Pump
What to Expect when Starting a Pump
Once You Have Your Pump
8: Choosing an Insulin Pump
Choosing an Insulin Pump
Insulin Pumps Available in Canada
Pump Features to Consider
9: The Alberta Insulin Pump Therapy Program
The Alberta Insulin Pump Therapy Program
Steps for the Alberta IPT Program
10: A Day in the Life of a Pumper
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
Insulin Pump Therapy
Pump Features to Consider
Pumps have different features that you need to think about:
Reservoir size—people with higher insulin needs may want pumps with larger reservoirs. However, this is not always the case. Larger amounts of insulin might need infusion set changes sooner than every 2-3 days to avoid site irritation. A larger reservoir might tempt someone to leave their infusion sets in too long, resulting in higher blood sugars. Talk with your educator about reservoir size.
How small the adjustments for basal and bolus insulin can be
—especially if the pump is for children or those with low insulin needs
Number of basal rates/profiles and bolus rates offered
Waterproof versus water-resistant
Remote bolus delivery option
Continuous glucose monitoring option with different features between brands
Customized food database option
Screen resolution
Tubing or tubeless “pod” pump. This is a personal decision. Both have pros and cons. For example, some people find the tubing an inconvenience while others find the tubeless pump functions very limited if they misplace or lose the handheld Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM).
Remember, NO insulin pump:
thinks for you
programs itself
takes away the need to check the blood sugar with a meter
automatically gives bolus insulin
automatically adjusts insulin delivery for food, exercise, stress, or illness
prevents all high and low blood sugars
Current as of:
November 18, 2016
Author:
Endocrinology and Metabolism, Alberta Health Services
feedback@myhealth.alberta.ca
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