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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Medtronic Survey of New Pump Style Options

So, I got an email from Medtronic Minimed yesterday to take a survey. It was supposed to take 25 minutes, so I as hesitant, but decided to go ahead and do it on my smart phone. I couldn't believe my eyes and I am SO mad I didn't take the survey on my desktop so I could capture some screen shots, a task I have yet to figure out or need on my phone. Anyway, the survey was comparing four different styles/functions of pump/Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).

There were technically two styles, but one offered artificial-like pancreas functions and one was just a pump with no CGM options, which just seemed weird. They both offered color screens on a remote control to manage pump/CGM functions. One was a rectangle about 1 1/2" x 2 1/2". It sat on a baseplate infusion set and had a "pump" with 200u of insulin inside. This affixed to your skin directly via the base plate infusion set. You had options to bolus from the pump directly, but there as no screen, so probably just an audible system. This would come in handy if you left the remote at home and were out.

The second style was a 2" round disc. It also had an infusion set that went with it and looked like the ones now, but the disc was a pump that held 300u of insulin. The pump could also be affixed directly to your skin or you could clip it to your belt, put it in your pocket and maybe your bra. It had no function for bolusing on the pump, but shared the remote shown with the other one.

The biggie deal here was when selecting which ones you liked best, it was clear they were trying to see if you were really interested in a CGM based artificial pancreas, because the questions said the pump would cease insulin delivery if blood sugar dropped below determined levels, or would correct for high blood sugars if it went above certain levels. The options given were one step beyond the Minimed 530G, the American version of the Veo.

So, while anxious to just get the 530G and the Enlite Sensors, this is exciting stuff. I was really confused why they would ask if I preferred a pump with a CGM that could shut off or auto bolus vs. a pump with nothing but a remote. Dude. That is so Omnipod!

1 comment:

PancreasticMom said...

Oh, awesome! Thanks for the info:). Will be so exciting when these are available. Hopefully by the time we are ready to upgrade her pump!