In the 1970s, the first diabetic pump devices designed to regulate insulin for diabetes patients were bulky and inefficient. Before the advent of insulin pumps, insulin-dependent type I and type II diabetes patients had no alternative to frequent blood sugar tests, finger pricks and injections. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, infusion pumps offered hope to patients needing steady blood glucose levels.
History
Diabetes is noted in texts from 2,000 years ago. The word diabetes is derived from the Greek word for "siphon," as Greek physicians and philosophers noted the excretion of fluids from the body via urination and extreme weight loss. While physicians could describe the disease, they could do nothing to treat it.
In 1921, a Canadian physician, Frederick Banting, discovered insulin as a treatment for diabetes, providing hope for a condition that had stymied doctors for hundreds of years. Insulin injections and blood sugar testing quickly became the primary treatment for diabetes patients whose condition could not be treated through diet and exercise. For nearly 60 years, insulin injections were the only option. Diabetic pumps debuted in the late 1970s.
The idea for an automatic insulin pump circulated among diabetes specialists for years before the first version was created by Dean Kamen in the late 1970s. Called the Auto-Syringe, the infusion pump was carried in a large backpack by the diabetic. The pump delivered a steady dose of insulin through a tube and needle injected directly into the patient. In 1979, the first needle-free diabetic pump debuted. The Derma-Ject functioned much like modern insulin pumps, but weighed 1-1/2 pounds.
Function
Modern insulin pumps can be carried in a pocket or worn on a belt clip and function as an insulin regulator device, delivering a steady stream of insulin to maintain tight control over blood glucose levels. The diabetic pump provides subcutaneous, continuous injection of insulin.
Significance
Before the advent of the diabetic pump, unless a diabetes patient tested her blood sugar frequently--six or more times a day--the body's glucose levels could fluctuate widely, causing unseen damage to organs, eyes and interfering with proper blood circulation. The 1993 Diabetes Control and Complications Trial determined that tighter control of blood glucose levels 24 hours a day for diabetics dramatically decreased damage and extended a diabetic's quality of life and lifespan. Diabetic pumps could help to achieve steady blood glucose levels and became a vital device for reducing morbidity and mortality.
Types
The most popular diabetic pump is the Medtronic Minimed in the United States, and the Disetronic pump in most other countries. Sales of diabetic pumps exceed $1 billion worldwide.
Benefits
Users report a higher degree of satisfaction with modern diabetic pumps over injection methods. Standard syringe delivery of insulin requires refrigeration of the insulin until it is used, the syringe itself, the need for a private place to inject, and constant manual monitoring of blood glucose levels. The insulin pump removes those steps. Parents of children with type I diabetes report extremely high levels of satisfaction with diabetic pumps for this children. A typical preschooler or elementary-school-aged child cannot easily manage self-monitoring and injection of insulin to maintain steady blood glucose levels, leaving such children vulnerable to complications. The diabetic pump reduces those risks.
