Insulin Pumps Can Be Simple for Patients Living With Type 2 Diabetes

Perspectives

Insulin Pumps Can Be Simple for Patients Living With Type 2 Diabetes

by Bonnie Goldberg, MA, RD, CDE

Bonnie is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters Degree in Health Education from Columbia University. She specializes in diabetes care and has spent her career educating and empowering people with diabetes. She is proud to currently work for Medtronic.

Do you think of insulin pumps as a device just for people living with type 1 diabetes? It’s a common misconception! However, more and more research is demonstrating that people living with type 2 diabetes on multiple daily injections of insulin can benefit significantly from switching to an insulin pump. And, it’s not complicated and could even simplify your diabetes regimen.

In March 2016, the 12-month results of the OpT2mise Trial1 were released. The OpT2mise Trial was the largest global study to evaluate and compare insulin pump therapy versus multiple daily insulin injections (MDI) for people living with type 2 diabetes. OpT2mise found that MiniMed® insulin pumps can help people living with type 2 diabetes achieve better glucose control than those on multiple daily injections. Learn more about the OpT2mise Trial by clicking here.

There are three primary takeaways to remember from the study:

  • Glucose control was significantly improved for patients using pump therapy; patients achieved a 1.2% reduction in A1C.
  • Clinical benefits achieved by pump therapy are reproducible. Two different study groups achieved the same reduction in A1C.
  • Glucose control with pump therapy is sustainable in the long term. Study participants had an additional 0.1% reduction in A1C in the second half of the study.

One of the most striking aspects of this study was that the people living with type 2 diabetes who participated followed a very simple protocol for the pump therapy regimen. Some people living with type 2 diabetes consider insulin pumps to be very complicated and difficult to use. However, this study demonstrated that patients could achieve very good results and better glucose control on a MiniMed pump than on MDI by following a few simple guidelines.

The study revealed that patients need to be trained on four simple features in order to use the MiniMed pump to improve their glucose control:

  1. Turn the pump on and off
  2. Deliver a bolus dose
  3. Replace the reservoir
  4. Replace the infusion set

That’s all! Of course, the MiniMed insulin pumps have many features that a person living with type 2 diabetes may want to leverage depending on their diabetes management needs. But those four are the only features necessary to get started on pump therapy and start improving your blood glucose control. You don’t have to learn to count carbs. If you can use a cell phone, you can use an insulin pump!

Still not sure? Try these suggestions to help you feel more comfortable about making the switch:

  • Ask for a free trial
  • Talk to your friends or others living with type 2 diabetes who use insulin pumps
  • Think about the potential improvement in your A1C
  • Think about how better glucose control can minimize your risk for developing complications down the road

Pump therapy can simplify your type 2 diabetes management, not complicate it. It’s easy to use and can reduce the number of injections you take by 90%*. Moreover, it can help improve your diabetes control and reduce your risk for long-term complications like blindness and amputation. It can also help improve your glucose control so you spend less time thinking about your diabetes and more time enjoying the people and activities you love!

Try out a MiniMed insulin pump for free TODAY! Click here for more details on your free trial.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

– Medtronic Diabetes insulin infusion pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems and associated components are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks associated with the use of these systems.

– Successful operation of the insulin infusion pumps and/or continuous glucose monitoring systems requires adequate vision and hearing to recognize alerts and alarms.

Medtronic Diabetes Insulin Infusion Pumps

– Insulin pump therapy is not recommended for individuals who are unable or unwilling to perform a minimum of four blood glucose tests per day.

– Insulin pumps use rapid-acting insulin. If your insulin delivery is interrupted for any reason, you must be prepared to replace the missed insulin immediately.

Medtronic Diabetes Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems

– The information provided by CGM systems is intended to supplement, not replace, blood glucose information obtained using a home glucose meter. A confirmatory fingerstick is required prior to treatment.

– Insertion of a glucose sensor may cause bleeding or irritation at the insertion site. Consult a physician immediately if you experience significant pain or if you suspect that the site is infected.

For more information, please visit MedtronicDiabetes.com/isi.

1. Aronson, R., Reznik, Y., Conget, I., Castañeda, J. A., Runzis, S., Lee, S. W., Cohen, O. and for the OpT2mise Study Group (2016), Sustained efficacy of insulin pump therapy compared with multiple daily injections in type 2 diabetes: 12-month data from the OpT2mise randomized trial. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 2016;18:500–507. doi: 10.1111/dom.12642

*Assumes 4 shots per day for 30 days and 1 infusion set change every 2-3 days. 120 shots versus 12 infusion set changes.