Comments on: Sterility

By: mattie_70

mattie_70 — Wed, 20 Aug 2003 00:44:58 +0000

>John: I wouldn’t consider insulin a powerful disinfectant. It is a growth
>hormone and is subject to contamination just like any other biological
>product.

Hi Joan. Please forgive me if I disagree with you!

Cleanliness is of course very very important. Diabetes can make people more
prone to infection, and some people are particularly prone to infusion site
infection. In this resepct every bit of cleanliness helps.

But I stand by my original assertion that the stuff inside a bottle of
insulin is a very powerful disinfectant. It is the m-cresol which they add
to it. Look at the ingredients on the packet. M-cresol will kill any bug
dead in no time. It doesn’t kill the insulin - that’s just a protein
molecule. But it kills anything living - bacteria etc. If you tried to put

bacteria inside a bottle of insulin, it would not survive more than a few
moments. A friend of mine, who used to work for the insulin manufacturer
Novo-Nordisk, described to me how they attempted to grow bacteria in a
bottle of insulin in the laboratory. They couldn’t. Even they were
surprised how hostile an environment it is.

It’s a common misconception that swabbing something with alcohol sterilises
it. It doesn’t. It just cleans it - removes dirt and grease etc. To
sterilise something with alcohol you have to soak it for several hours. On
the other hand, iodine or chlorhexidine will sterilise on contact I believe.

But do correct me if you still think I am wrong
John

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By: elmo_15

elmo_15 — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 18:26:41 +0000

I second that!! Although Insulin itself is antiseptic by nature. (If that’s
the correct term). You get my drift..
fp

By: daphne400

daphne400 — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 14:01:30 +0000

<<
I assume you’re talking about the SofSet QR… >>
Insulin is in fact a very powerful disinfectant, because of all the
preservatives they put in it. So, as far as I know, you don’t need to worry
about bugs and bacteria getting into the tubing. What is more important is
particles of dirt getting in. If you’ve disconnected on the beach, for
example, you need to be sure there’s no sand or mud on it when you
reconnect. This is when you need to clean it with an alcohol swab.
Otherwise it’s not strictly necessary.

John: I wouldn’t consider insulin a powerful disinfectant. It is a growth
hormone and is subject to contamination just like any other biological
product. The preservatives keep it stable under refrigeration. Yes, it can
stay a room temperature for about a month, but then it starts to lose its
effectiveness. All of us as diabetics are more prone to infection simply

because of the impact diabetes has on our immune systems. Keeping everything
clean from sites to tubing to the syringes that hold our insulin is the key
to protection from infection. That little plug that comes with the soft-set
is there to keep the needle connect end of the tubing clean and free from
contamination when disconnected. I normally don’t stay disconnected more
than just taking a shower, otherwise my pump is my shadow. Keep that in
mind. Joan

By: mattie_70

mattie_70 — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 00:21:57 +0000

Hi Jill.

I assume you’re talking about the SofSet QR…

Insulin is in fact a very powerful disinfectant, because of all the
preservatives they put in it. So, as far as I know, you don’t need to worry
about bugs and bacteria getting into the tubing. What is more important is
particles of dirt getting in. If you’ve disconnected on the beach, for
example, you need to be sure there’s no sand or mud on it when you
reconnect. This is when you need to clean it with an alcohol swab.
Otherwise it’s not strictly necessary.

John

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By: daphne400

daphne400 — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 21:46:09 +0000

Jill, I use the soft-set all the time, and don’t swipe with anything before
reconnecting. Just keep it clean while it’s disconnected. Gets dirty then
clean with alcohol, that’s all….Joan

By: daphne400

daphne400 — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 13:38:28 +0000

Hi Jill:
really don’t have to be "sterile", just clean hands and keep things as tidy
as possible. Sometimes some pump trainers and non-RN CDEs talk about
sterile…really not the right term.
Aseptic technique - without bacteria, is the key. Clean hands, clean site,
alcohol preps or alcohol on a cotton ball will only clean the site or
whatever, not sterilize.
If you’ve kept the ends clean, there’s really no need to alcohol swipe
anything, just reconnect. Sometimes we make things worse instead of better.
Give it a try. Joan

By: silas_17

silas_17 — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 02:11:51 +0000

Jill,
I only swab the rubber tip with alcohol if I have disconnected for anything
other than a shower. If I have only disconnected while showering, the soap
and water from the shower seems suficient enough for me. I have not had any
problems. I occasionally hit buttons by mistake, but if you just let it
rest a few seconds, nothing gets programed, and the screen clears back to
normal. David

By: cheri_18

cheri_18 — Sun, 17 Aug 2003 16:55:21 +0000

sof-set.

By: antoinette_5

antoinette_5 — Sun, 17 Aug 2003 14:16:42 +0000

On the MiniMed pumps there is a disconnect feature. How sterile do you have to
be when reconnecting? Is swabbing the rubber end with an alcohol wipe good
enough, or even necessary?

Also does anyone else have problems unclipping the minimed from a belt WITHOUT
activating some of the buttons? Maybe my husband just has really big fingertips?

Thanks all.
Jill
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