Does the installation of insulin pump require hospitalization?

China Medical University Hospital established the Insulin Pump Center in 2007 and the insulin pump team includes physician, nurses and nutritionists.  When patients decide to install insulin pump, the physicians will arrange for hospitalization and professional medical staff will be responsible for the insulin pump installation of patients, basal rate and additional insulin adjustment, and diet guidance in the process. Patients will fully understand the use and diet calculation during hospitalization. The average number of hospitalization is between 5 ~ 7 days.

Precautions for Use of Insulin Pump

• You must understand the operational procedures of the pump before use.
• You must understand how to calculate carbon hydrate and the method of insulin and carbon hydrate ratio. Additionally you must know how to adjust insulin dosage before meal and exercise.
• You need to monitor the blood sugar for at least 4 ~ 6 times.
• The deficiency in blood sugar monitoring will enhance the risk occurrence from medium to severely low blood sugar.
• The area where the soft tube is injected is under the risk of inflammation and infection.
• If your insulin device is interrupted with administration, it will increase the risk of high blood sugar and Ketoacidosis.
• You will need to wear insulin pump usually 24 hours a day.

What to do in situations such as bathing and activities requiring the touch of water (i.e. swimming and hot spring bath)

• The pump features a waterproof design of fast disconnector so that the infusion tube could temporarily separate from the body during bathing or swimming. Hence it will not affect water activities such as scuba diving, showering, hot spring bath, and swimming.

Precautions for areas of insulin pump injection

• Change the area of injection for each replacement of materials.
• Avoid area with lumps and do not inject such area temporarily.
• Do not inject on waist marks or hip where areas susceptible to pressure.
• It is suggested to replace the materials before every meal and measure the blood sugar in 2 hours after the meal to assure the successful injection of new materials ( it is recommended not to replace before sleep ).

Common situations for changing basal rate for insulin pump

• Significant change in weight: The weight is increased or decreased by 5 ~ 10 % or more.
• Significant changes in activities.
• Low calorie diet (diet): Basal rate reduced by 10 ~ 30 %
• Maternity: Reduced basal rate at 3:00am and increased by 2~3 times by dawn (compared with 3:00am in the morning).
• Illness or infection period: Usually basal rate needs to be increased.
• Menstruation: Some people need to increase the basal rate before menstruation and can reduce basal rate after the menstruation.
• Other combined medicine: steroid or other medicine that requires the increase of basal rate.