Research says medtronic insulin pump beats insulin injections

A recent post-market study showed that Medtronic Inc’s insulin pump and monitoring device did a much better job of controlling blood glucose levels in Type 1 diabetes patients than multiple daily injections. The pump and monitoring device were able to lower A1C levels four times as well as insulin injections.

The study followed 485 patients ranging in age from 7 to 70. The group in the study that used the Medtronic insulin pump saw their A1C levels decrease, on average, from a baseline of 8.3 percent to 7.5 percent. The group on insulin injections saw their levels decrease to just 8.1 percent from the baseline reading. The best result found in the study was the effect the insulin pump had on A1C levels in children, whose A1C levels are notoriously difficult to control. Children age 7 to 18 who used the insulin pump saw an average reduction of 0.4 percent compared to a rise of 0.2 percent among their peers in the injection group.

A1C levels are a commonly used measure of blood sugar. Maintaining low A1C levels is vital in reducing the risk of long-term complications from diabetes such as eye, kidney and heart disease. Common guidelines suggest that diabetes patients maintain A1C levels at or below 7.0 percent.

The results of the study were published at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association in Orlando, Florida. While the results provide hope for better control of blood sugar levels for diabetics in the future, challenges exist in selecting and training patients to use the pump and monitoring device system. At this point in time, multiple daily injections are the most common form of controlling A1C levels.