What is insulin pump therapy?
Endocrinologist John Merendino, MD, walks through the definition, role, and importance of insulin pump therapy.
Transcript
Insulin pump therapy is a way of getting insulin for diabetes.
It means that you have a device which is administering insulin under your skin continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
An insulin pump is designed to try to mimic what the body's pancreas would do naturally in giving insulin.
And the amount of insulin that's put out by the pump is lower when you're not eating and goes up when you're eating.
And your pancreas would naturally give more insulin when you eat. So with an insulin pump, you have the option
of giving more insulin when you eat a larger meal, less insulin when you eat a smaller meal. Over time the pumps have become much smaller, much easier
to use, and much more efficient. At this point in time, the next real advance is that they are beginning to react to blood sugar readings.
Many people who wear an insulin pump are also using a continuous glucose monitor. The pumps can sometimes detect the glucose level
from the continuous glucose monitor. And the newest generation of pumps are designed to react in some way
by either increasing or decreasing the amount of insulin in response to changes in blood sugar.
living with diabetes
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