Pay attention to these four things. The insulin pen is right!
For diabetes patients treated with insulin, the standardized use of insulin pens is essential. Pay attention to these five things, and then the insulin pens can be used correctly!
Compared with traditional syringes, what are the advantages of insulin pens?
① The insulin and the injection device are combined into one, the injection steps are greatly simplified, and the carrying is more convenient, and the injection is more concealed;
② The injection dose is displayed in digital form through the dose window, which is more accurate than the naked eye reading;
③ It is allowed to use thinner and shorter needles to make the injection less painful.
However, in the process of using the insulin injection pen, we also need to pay attention to the following four issues.
1、 Leakage
Many patients will encounter this situation when using the insulin injection pen: a drop of liquid medicine is hung on the needle after the needle is pulled out, or the liquid medicine overflows from the skin, which is called leakage. If the leakage is serious, the dose of insulin injected subcutaneously may be reduced, thus affecting blood glucose control. Clinically, leakage can be divided into two cases:
Type I: leakage at the connection
The connection between the pen core and the needle tip leaks, which is due to the poor sealing between the needle tip and the insulin pen core, resulting in the leakage of liquid medicine from the injection pen.
Countermeasures: First, ensure that the compatibility between the needle and the insulin pen is ISO certified. Then, check whether the operation is correct. Every time the needle is installed, ensure that the needle is aligned with the center of the pen core isolation plug and vertically penetrated.
The second type: needle tip leakage
Because the needle head of the insulin pen is very thin, the injection time of the liquid medicine into the body is relatively prolonged during the injection, and with the increase of the liquid medicine injected into the subcutaneous, the absorption speed of the liquid medicine at the location of the needle tip will slow down. If the injection speed is too fast or the needle is pulled out too fast, the liquid medicine will easily spill from the needle tip.
Countermeasures: First, try to choose a needle with a larger inner diameter, that is, a needle with a thinner wall, so as to improve the insulin flow rate and reduce leakage. The Bep Hummingbird needle is designed with an ultra-thin wall, which greatly reduces leakage. Secondly, we should keep in mind that the needle should be retained for at least 10 seconds, which refers to the time interval between fully pressing the injection button and pulling the needle out of the skin, so as to ensure that the pressure is transmitted to the insulin refill through all injection pen parts.
If the dose is large, the needle retention time should be extended, or split into two injections to reduce the dose of a single injection.
2、 Pain
I always hear many sugar friends say that they feel very painful when injecting insulin, so they don't want to inject needles. In fact, the insulin needle has been very thin, and the pain during the injection process is not obvious. Secondly, a large part of the pain is caused by the repeated use of needles. After all, needles are disposable products, and there are naturally many problems in the repeated use, which leads to a decline in the feeling of use. Therefore, to avoid pain, do not reuse needles.
3、 Save
If the insulin injection pen is not properly stored, it will not only cause damage to the pen itself, but also may affect the accuracy of the injection dose, resulting in drug contamination and other potential safety hazards. The insulin pen shall be stored at room temperature, and shall be stored in the packaging box when not in use. Avoid direct sunlight, prevent water, dust and moisture from entering, keep away from heat sources, and avoid freezing.
4、 Safety test
Some patients complained about the poor effect of insulin treatment. After careful inquiry, they found that there were only two important steps missing, which led to the failure of the liquid medicine to play its due role or the liquid medicine was not injected successfully.
Before injection, turn the dose adjustment knob clockwise for 1-2 units to set the dose, hold the needle tip of the injection pen upright, flick the pen core holder with your fingers several times to make the air gather on the upper part, and press the injection button until a large drop of insulin overflows from the needle, which means that the air bubbles in the pen core have been exhausted.
Patients should remember to pay attention to the injection method and needle selection. Only in this way can the effectiveness of insulin be guaranteed and the best therapeutic effect be achieved.