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Today’s insulin pumps provide a wide range of basal and bolus delivery options with memory and alarms. The insulin is stored inside a reservoir in the pump and delivered to the patient by means of an infusion set implanted into the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen.

• Basal rates are designed to replace the background release of insulin from a normal pancreas. Unlike the long-acting insulins used in injections, basal rates can be adjusted every 30 minutes in increments as small as 0.025 units/hour to balance different needs resulting, for example, exercise, dawn phenomenon, illness, etc.


• Boluses cover the carbs in meals or snacks and lower any high readings that may otherwise occur. The pump user enters into the pump how many carbs will be eaten, along with the current blood glucose obtained from a blood glucose monitor. The pump then recommends a dose based on the personalised settings they and their healthcare provider have selected to match their needs.

The Benefits of Insulin Pump Therapy

• One insertion every 3 days
• Multiple basal rates
• Dawn phenomenon
• Exercise management
• Meal-time flexibility
• Reduction of complicated calculations
• Improved absorption of insulin
• Reduced risk of hypoglycaemia & long-term complications
• Greater precision in dosing (e.g. for paediatrics)
• Square Wave bolus feature may help to address gastroparesis
• Dual/Square Wave bolus features for different food/meal types

The major advantages of CSII when compared with multiple daily injections are derived primarily from its pharmacokinetic effects which include:

• Using only rapid-acting regular insulin which appears to provide a more consistent, reproducible absorption pattern. Absorption variance from 10-52 percent occurs with each injected dose of intermediate-acting insulin compared to 2.8 percent with regular insulin over a 24-hour period. This variability accounts for 80 percent of the change in the amplitude of glucose excursions from day to day.¹


• Using only one body region (abdomen) for insulin delivery, which avoids interregional variation of insulin absorption. These differences have been attributed to blood flow. Absorption is fastest from the abdomen, followed by the arm, buttocks, and thigh.²


• An insulin depot or pool may be minimised to reduce the risk of mobilisation during exercise, thereby reducing the risk of exercise-related hypoglycaemia.

Other advantages include:

• The basal rate is pre-programmed, constant, and can be easily altered to reflect the changing background need for insulin.


• The feeling of a more "normal" lifestyle for some users. Pump users are able to experience a degree of freedom in the timing of meals, work, school, sleep and physical activity not possible with MDI. Having this freedom without loss of diabetes control is thought to be a major reason for the decreased depression and greater perception of self-efficacy found among pump users.

The MiniMed Paradigm™ Veo™ insulin pump is the first and only available insulin pump where continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can be added to provide REAL-time glucose readings on the insulin pump. The Veo is also the first insulin pump that will automatically suspend insulin delivery when glucose levels are too low.