D and The Guy – A blog about Diabetes in real life

Let me start by saying that the information in this post is, at the time of publishing, more than a week old. Although it is not fresh from the press, I still thought was important to share here.

During the American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans, CNBC interviewed Bill Hawkins, Medtronic chairman & CEO. This was your typical analyst interview where Medtronic commented about their products, the new Paradigm VEO and their work towards a closed loop system.

What was really interesting, is that for the first time, Medtronic showed to the media the prototype of a patch pump.

Medtronic’s patch pump, which so far does not seem to have a name, is expected to compete head on with Insulet’s Omnipod. I personally would like to see how it compares, and more importantly for me, whether will be available here in Australia. The Omnipod is still only available in North America and is not expected to be available anywhere else for a while.

Maybe this will be our chance to finally move to a tubeless pump, but obviously there is a long road still to go.

Today I’m concluding my 6 day test drive of the Inset II infusion set (also known as Inset in some markets). It’s been an interesting experience, specially considering that is the first non-Medtronic set that I try in my Minimed Paradigm 522.

These infusion set is manufactured by Unomedical, but is also marketed by Animas. It is available in three colors here in Australia (Blue, Pink and Grey) although a fourth color seems to be available in the USA.

The Good

For me, the biggest positive of this set was the integrated inserter. In the past, I’ve had some issues with infusion sets getting stuck to the reusable inserter. By using an integrated, single use inserter, I’m sure to get a perfectly placed, always working set.

The set is small and compact and easy to keep around, specially good if you want to carry in your bag. It was also good to see that once you have completed the insertion, you only need to put the cap back on and throw in the garbage bin. No need for a sharps container as the needle stays enclosed, great specially if you need to do an emergency change on the road.

The Bad

There are a number of things that I didn’t quite like about this set.  Having a single use inserter means that the quality and feel of the device is not as good as some of the reusable ones. In particular, the Inset does not use a spring to shoot the needle in but instead, it creates tension by twisting some of the plastic. This also means that the insertion is not as precise as it should, which ultimately increases the risk of a painful insertion.

I also didn’t like the connector on the set. Instead of the twist off motion on other sets, the Inset uses a straight pug, which I found hard to connect and disconnect.

The adhesive is a bit smaller than some of the other sets, and seemed to be more affected by water from the shower. That said, it lasted the full 3 days without any issue. This, however, may be more of a problem for those who wear their sets for longer.

Verdict

While so far I really like these set, I will probably not continue using them in the long run. For much that I like the concept of an integrated single use inserter I really value the precision on the insertion movement.

I have, however, decided to keep a couple of these sets in each of my emergency kits, as they would come handy in case I need to change my set while away from home.

A few of you may remember that a few days ago I ordered a few supplies to do a comparison between different infusion sites available.  Most of the infusion sets I ordered had a luer lock connector, so I needed to order a special reservoir as well. The reservoir is called Thinset reservoir, and is made in the USA by Applied Diabetes Research.

The Good

The biggest thing about this reservoir is it’s that it allows Minimed Paradigm users like me to use luer lock infusion sets. This effectively means that for the first time since the introduction of the Paradigm series of pumps, we have the flexibility of choosing any set available in the market today.

In addition to this, there are also a few features worth noting. In particular, the plunger has a stop at the end of it, which makes impossible to separate the reservoir spilling insulin all over the place. It also has clear markings in the barrel, so it is easy to read.

The Bad

While I really appreciate the freedom of choice that the Thinset reservoir gives me, it’s also fair to say that this reservoir is not perfect, specially when compared with the standard Paradigm reservoir.

The first thing that becomes obvious as soon as you take the reservoir out of the package is that it does not have the guard/vial holder that I like so much on the Paradigm reservoir. Instead, you get a syringe style needle that you need to insert in your vial and then hold manually. Probably not a big deal for those used to handle syringes, but for me (I always used pens before the pump) it feels like juggling and balancing at the same time.

The other thing that feels odd about this reservoir is it’s fit in the pump. Don’t get me wrong, it fits with incredible precision on the compartment, but the main issue is the bits that end up sticking out. The reservoir has two little wings at each side of the connector to twist the reservoir in place. This in conjunction with the actual luer lock connector make the whole setup a bit more bulkier than the simple elegant Paradigm connector.

Verdict

Overall, this is a very good product because of the options it opens for all paradigm users, but for me, it’s use will be dependant on whether I choose to use a luer lock set going forward.