LIVING
a short history of
iNsuliN pumps
i
n the beginning, there wasn’t will destroy it. the nasal absorption idea latest pump, the veo, on the next pages.
even insulin – at least, not on suffered from being awkward (the device Meanwhile, once insulin pump
the ‘outside’. if your body did was like a bicycle pump) and dosage technology became a reality, and the
not make it for itself, then it was was a problem. if you need an accurate likely upsides to long-term improvements
not a good prognosis. insulin dose, this was not the way. also, it was in control could be studied and proven,
was only isolated and identified in 1910 not possible to mimic the standard two- other medical companies have brought
by Canadian doctors banting and best. insulins-a-day formula: a background insulin pumps to the table and product
From that point, ‘animal’ insulins were insulin as well as a short-acting insulin for innovation continues. there’s now bolus
produced, then later ‘human’ insulins mealtimes. wizards, low glucose suspend options,
were created. insulin (on the outside) was patch pumps and some CgMs that work
injected in, thereby making the diagnosis Time for change with insulin pumps too.
of type 1 diabetes no longer a death infusion always made sense, as it could
sentence, converting it to a Long term more closely mimic normal human insulin Moving on
Condition. release, but early insulin pumps had one it’s a brave new world, but now there’s lots
For a long time, there were not many big problem: their size. The first models of us in it who’re wearing a pump, so we
great innovations. a lot was learnt about were so massive, you had to wear them can share our experiences and contribute
diet, new insulins were created, slowly on your back like a back-pack. that was to moving all diabetes management
syringes moved from being made of metal never going to work. With advances in technology on, until we find a cure.
and glass and the inch-long needles micro-technology, and the miniaturisation
became much smaller. Finally blood test of seemingly everything, it was possible
continued over
meters became available in the home to start squishing the necessary elements
environment sometime in the 1970s. into a more manageable size and shape.
getting insulin into the body, and Pretty much the first mover in this See overleaf for more
trying to avoid a lifetime of multiple space was Medtronic, which specialises on Medtronic’s insulin
injections, was a concern from early in sophisticated medical devices. the
pump innovation, and
on, but the alternative to syringes and time-line on the following pages is now
page 20 for a ‘who’ s
pens were few and far between. a brief five years old – designed in 2008 for it’s
diversion into nasal insulin delivery was 25th anniversary in the diabetes sector,
who’ in insulin pumps
short lived – insulin is a delicate thing and there’s been more innovations not shown current availability in
can’t be swallowed as stomach acids in the diagram. You can read about their the UK.
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