Metabolic Control with Insulin Pump Therapy: Preliminary Experience

Background

The benefits of insulin pump therapy on the metabolic control of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have been reported. Such reports have prompted our interest to investigate the long-term metabolic effects of insulin pump therapy at our institution.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the management of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients who began extended insulin pump therapy at Changhua Christian Hospital between November 2004 and October 2007. One-way ANOVA and post hoc analysis were used to compare baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) values with subsequent values.

Results

We studied 12 patients who were on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy at the time of data collection. Mean duration of CSII therapy was 2.3 years. A reduction in HbA1C was found after administering CSII, which was sustained after 1, 2 and 3 years of therapy (7.0%, 6.7% and 6.6%, respectively), with statistical significance (p <0.05). No incidence of severe hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis occurred during the treatment period.

Conclusion

Our preliminary experience demonstrated the effectiveness of insulin pump therapy for both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. The reduction in their HbA1C values was both statistically and clinically significant. This treatment should be considered for patients poorly controlled by subcutaneous insulin injection therapy.

Key Words:  continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) , diabetic ketoacidosis , glycosylated hemoglobin A (HbA1C)

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