Article from Health AToZ
Insulin Pump a Hit With Specialists
New device popular with doctors who are diabetic, but patients stick
with needle
By Gary Gately
HealthSCOUT Reporter
SATURDAY, July 29 (HealthSCOUT) — Diabetics dependent on daily
insulin could replace their syringes with a pump the size of a pager,
but few patients do so, a new study found.
The device is most popular among diabetes specialists who have Type I
diabetes, the study says. More than half use the insulin pump,
compared with only about 10 percent of all U.S. Type I diabetes
patients.
Why the wide discrepancy between specialists and diabetes patients as
a whole?
The specialists, says the study, published in The Diabetes Educator,
know what most patients don’t — that the pump provides more
accurate, steady and precise insulin doses and is much easier to use.
The pump provides round-the-clock insulin by simulating the action of
the pancreas to replace the insulin supply. Patients can swim, ride a
bike, do other exercises and eat what they wish while using the pump.
The device comprises a reservoir filled with insulin, a small battery-
operated pump and a computer chip that allows the user to control how
much insulin the pump delivers. And it’s all in a plastic case about
the size of a beeper. The reservoir delivers insulin to the body
through a thin plastic tube painlessly inserted beneath the skin,
typically in the abdomen, and the user changes the tube every two or
three days.
The simplicity and reliability of the pump has won over many
converts, says the study’s lead author, Marilyn R. Graff, a
registered nurse and longtime diabetes educator who is now senior
manager for professional education at MiniMed Inc., a California
company that makes insulin pumps.
"People call and write and tell us, ‘Now that I’ve got my pump, I’ll
never give it back,’" says Graff, former president of the 10,000-
member American Association of Diabetes Education. "That’s the
message we get from patients: ‘I’ve been trying all this time to take
better care of myself and now I’m able to do it.’"
The pump costs about $5,500, she says, and most insurance companies
will pick up 80 percent of the tab. The first insulin pump went to
market in 1983 with a much bigger, bulkier monitor. MiniMed developed
the pager-like device in 1997.
The study is based on survey responses from about 800 diabetics who
also treat the disease. The specialists, the study said, not only
used the pump more than their patients, but also almost universally
maintained recommended "intensive treatment regimens," consisting of
three or more insulin shots a day or use of an insulin pump. By
contrast, less than a quarter of American Type I diabetes patients
follow the recommended regimens, the study says.
Dr. Michael Perley, an endocrinologist who uses the pump for his own
Type I diabetes, says the study demonstrates "a huge disconnect"
between specialists and their patients.
"This is a matter of education, and it’s also a matter of attitude,"
he adds. Perley suggests specialists, including doctors and nurses,
think the pump may be "overwhelming to the lay public."
"But," he adds, "these attitudes are being broken down. The pump
after training is much easier" than daily shots, he says. "It
provides a much more flexible lifestyle for the patient but, more
important, it provides much better medical outcomes."
About 1 million people in the United States have Type I diabetes and
most them are diagnosed as children or young adults.
Lack of proper treatment can lead to serious complications including
blindness, amputation, kidney disease and increased risk of heart and
blood vessel diseases. Untreated, Type I diabetes can cause death.
What to Do:To read more about use of the insulin pump, visit the
American Diabetes Association and MiniMed Inc..
SOURCES: Interviews with Marilyn R. Graff, manager for professional
education, MiniMed Inc.; Michael Perley, M.D., endocrinologist;
May/June 2000 The Diabetes Educator
Copyright © 2000 Rx Remedy, Inc.
Last Updated 7/29/00
January 5th, 2005 at 12:13 am
Insulin Pump a Hit With Specialists
New device popular with doctors who are diabetic, but patients stick
with needle
By Gary Gately
HealthSCOUT Reporter
SATURDAY, July 29 (HealthSCOUT) — Diabetics dependent on daily
insulin could replace their syringes with a pump the size of a pager,
but few patients do so, a new study found.
The device is most popular among diabetes specialists who have Type I
diabetes, the study says. More than half use the insulin pump,
compared with only about 10 percent of all U.S. Type I diabetes
patients.
Why the wide discrepancy between specialists and diabetes patients as
a whole?
The specialists, says the study, published in The Diabetes Educator,
know what most patients don’t — that the pump provides more
accurate, steady and precise insulin doses and is much easier to use.
The pump provides round-the-clock insulin by simulating the action of
the pancreas to replace the insulin supply. Patients can swim, ride a
bike, do other exercises and eat what they wish while using the pump.
The device comprises a reservoir filled with insulin, a small battery-
operated pump and a computer chip that allows the user to control how
much insulin the pump delivers. And it’s all in a plastic case about
the size of a beeper. The reservoir delivers insulin to the body
through a thin plastic tube painlessly inserted beneath the skin,
typically in the abdomen, and the user changes the tube every two or
three days.
The simplicity and reliability of the pump has won over many
converts, says the study’s lead author, Marilyn R. Graff, a
registered nurse and longtime diabetes educator who is now senior
manager for professional education at MiniMed Inc., a California
company that makes insulin pumps.
"People call and write and tell us, ‘Now that I’ve got my pump, I’ll
never give it back,’" says Graff, former president of the 10,000-
member American Association of Diabetes Education. "That’s the
message we get from patients: ‘I’ve been trying all this time to take
better care of myself and now I’m able to do it.’"
The pump costs about $5,500, she says, and most insurance companies
will pick up 80 percent of the tab. The first insulin pump went to
market in 1983 with a much bigger, bulkier monitor. MiniMed developed
the pager-like device in 1997.
The study is based on survey responses from about 800 diabetics who
also treat the disease. The specialists, the study said, not only
used the pump more than their patients, but also almost universally
maintained recommended "intensive treatment regimens," consisting of
three or more insulin shots a day or use of an insulin pump. By
contrast, less than a quarter of American Type I diabetes patients
follow the recommended regimens, the study says.
Dr. Michael Perley, an endocrinologist who uses the pump for his own
Type I diabetes, says the study demonstrates "a huge disconnect"
between specialists and their patients.
"This is a matter of education, and it’s also a matter of attitude,"
he adds. Perley suggests specialists, including doctors and nurses,
think the pump may be "overwhelming to the lay public."
"But," he adds, "these attitudes are being broken down. The pump
after training is much easier" than daily shots, he says. "It
provides a much more flexible lifestyle for the patient but, more
important, it provides much better medical outcomes."
About 1 million people in the United States have Type I diabetes and
most them are diagnosed as children or young adults.
Lack of proper treatment can lead to serious complications including
blindness, amputation, kidney disease and increased risk of heart and
blood vessel diseases. Untreated, Type I diabetes can cause death.
What to Do:To read more about use of the insulin pump, visit the
American Diabetes Association and MiniMed Inc..
SOURCES: Interviews with Marilyn R. Graff, manager for professional
education, MiniMed Inc.; Michael Perley, M.D., endocrinologist;
May/June 2000 The Diabetes Educator
Copyright © 2000 Rx Remedy, Inc.
Last Updated 7/29/00
January 5th, 2005 at 5:16 am
That was a good article, except, pumps have been out before 1983, because I
started wearing one in 1981. Maybe they were just talking of Minimed pumps.
My first two were by another company.
Gail
January 5th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
>>That was a good article, except, pumps have been out before 1983, because
I
started wearing one in 1981. Maybe they were just talking of Minimed pumps.
My first two were by another company. Gail>>
January 5th, 2005 at 10:44 pm
If you want a picture of the back pack pump, I will check with my doctor when
I see her in mid-August. It did not look like anything feasible for sure.
Reminded me of a jet pack that Bond would take off with. She showed it in a
presentation she gave on pumps.
I actually get to start pumping on my next appointment on the 17. I could
really use it now. Just took a new job and would have been nice not to have
to interrupt it for the pump start. But I will do what I have to do. New
job will definitely make everything worth it.
later,
Bart
January 6th, 2005 at 5:39 am
Good luck Bart. You will be an old hand at it sooner than you think.
Gail