BSPED2021 Diabetes Main Day Sessions Symposium 1 (3 abstracts)
Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
People living with diabetes face the daily burden of managing their disease. The ongoing challenge of administering insulin, testing heir glucose and adhering to recommended lifestyle can be overwhelming. Diabetes technology can alleviate some of this burden. However, the technology should be chosen wisely upon preferences and competences of affected people. Insulin pump use has been increasing over the last decades. Insulin pumps re considered a comfortable way to deliver insulin potentially resulting in improved adherence to correction dosesfor elevated glucose, which insulin pen users might skip. There are currently two types of insulin pumps on the market: conventional pumps that require an infusion set to deliver insulin to the infusion site and patch pumps which are directly attached to the site with an adhesive and deliver insulin via an integrated cannula. Smart insulin pens can keep track of the timing of the last insulin dose which helps to avoid insulin dosing errors such as missed doses or injection of double the normal amount. In combination with adequate smartphone apps they can communicate via NFC to directly transfer timing and amount of the injected insulin dose. This is of special interest to people who do not want to use an insulin pump, cannot tolerate the adhesive or do not have access to an insulin pump. Automated insulin delivery systems combine an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monior and an algorithm to steer insulin delivery. Different types of systems are available: integrated systems (all components by one manufacturer), modular systems (components from different manufacturers but are licensed for combined use) and algorithms running as a smart phone app enabling a broader choice of components. Additionally, open-source automated insulin delivery systems where people living with diabetes program their own algorithm and use components of their choice, are currently being used.