Insulin Pump - Common Method of Filling An Insulin Pump

Common Method of Filling An Insulin Pump

To use an insulin pump, the reservoir must first be filled with insulin. Some pumps use prefilled cartridges. Most, however, are filled with the insulin prescribed for the user (usually Apidra, Humalog,or Novolog).

Setup includes:

1. Open a new (sterile) empty pump reservoir
2. Withdraw the plunger to the amount of insulin needed for 2-3 days
3. Insert the needle into a vial of fast-acting insulin
4. Inject the air from the reservoir into the vial to prevent a vacuum forming in the vial as insulin withdraws
5. Draw insulin into the reservoir with the plunger
6. Tap gently with a small item (pen or pencil), squirting out any air bubbles from the reservoir into the vial
7. Remove the reservoir from the vial, and unscrew the plunger from the reservoir making sure not to remove any insulin
8. Carefully remove the needle and close the lid on the needle
9. Attach the reservoir to the infusion set tubing
10. Install the assembly into the pump and prime the tubing (this pushes insulin and any air bubbles through the tubing). This is done with the pump disconnected from the body to prevent accidental insulin delivery
11. Attach to the infusion site to a body(and prime the cannula to see if a new set has been inserted correctly)

Some systems automate the infusion and priming steps.

The Omnipod — which integrates the infusion set, tubing, and insulin reservoir — has an automated infusion process that primes the insulin and inserts the cannula to the body automatically after a command from the PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager), which controls the insulin pump functions.