Removable: Unlike a patch pump, a tethered insulin pump can be removed for an hour or so if you need to go swimming or shower, for example. Size and Weight: Tethered pumps are larger and heavier than patch pumps, which can make them less comfortable to wear and more conspicuous. Complexity: Tethered pumps are more complex than patch pumps, requiring more training and education to operate effectively.

Higher Cost: Tethered pumps are generally more expensive than patch pumps. Tandem T-slim X2 Insulin Pump. Kaleido Starter Kit UK.

MiniMed G Insulin Pump. Mylife YpsoPump. Dana Diabecare i-Insulin Pump. Insulin pumps are relatively expensive if you pay for them yourself. Depending on your chosen type, they can cost from £ to £ However, most pumps last from four to eight years, so they might be worth the long-term investment.

You'll also need to purchase other items as part of your insulin pump therapy and for your pump to work, such as the following:. These items, excluding insulin, can cost you an additional £ per year.

Tandem Diabetes. These insulin pump brands have models with unique features, customizations, and settings. Ask your diabetes care team which model would be best for monitoring your blood glucose levels.

Almost anyone taking insulin injections can benefit from insulin pump therapy. However, insulin pumps are much more common with the following individuals:.

More flexibility with food: Pumps allow you to adjust your insulin doses to cover spikes in your blood sugar levels according to the food you eat. Accurate insulin doses: Insulin pumps deliver the exact amount of insulin you need into the subcutaneous tissue for optimal absorption. Fewer needles: You don't need to poke yourself with a needle and syringe multiple times daily.

Pumps are less irritating to your skin because you don't need to rotate your injection sites to avoid pricking the same sites repeatedly. Adjustable insulin doses: Pumps allow you to adjust your insulin dose according to your blood sugar levels and your body's response to treatment.

They make it easier for a healthcare professional to monitor your progress. Easier everyday life: Pumps allow you to plan your insulin doses around your life instead of vice versa. If you add a meal, exercise, or change any aspect of your lifestyle, you can adjust your insulin dose accordingly with a button.

Learning curve: Insulin pump therapy requires some initial training and getting used to, which can be easier with the help of your diabetes management team.

Risk of DKA: Increased risk of DKA diabetic ketoacidosis happens when your body relies on the pump's fast-acting insulin day and night. If the pump malfunctions or anything happens to it, the uncontrolled blood sugar could lead to DKA, which is life-threatening.

Risk of infection: As with any cannula, there's a small risk of infection, which you can minimize by changing every days or as your doctor recommends. Maintenance: Insulin pumps need regular cleaning, monitoring, and maintenance. You might also need to replace some parts every now and then.

Insulin pumps are a convenient and effective way to manage your diabetes. They save you the trouble of being pricked with a needle and syringe multiple times daily, but they're not for everyone.

Hopefully, with the information in this article, you'll be able to decide if the pros outweigh the cons. Shop Starter Pack Subscriptions Parts.

Overview How It Works Distributors. Clinical Studies Reports Certificates. Testimonials Reviews Surveys Blogs. FAQ How To Videos PDF Instructions Quick Guide. What Is an Insulin Pump? How Common Are Insulin Pumps? How Does an Insulin Pump Work? Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitors CGMs Types of Insulin Pumps Patch Insulin Pumps Advantages of Patch Pumps Disadvantages of Patch Pumps Popular Patch Insulin Pump Models Tethered Insulin Pumps Advantages of Tethered Pumps Disadvantages of Tethered Pumps Popular Tethered Pump Models Price of Insulin Pumps Popular Insulin Pump Brands Who Can Benefit From Insulin Pump Therapy?

Insulin Pumps: Pros and Cons Pros Cons Conclusion. Woman with her glucose monitor. Source: Deposit Photos. Woman looking over her glucose monitor. Some popular insulin pumps with CGM integrations include: Medtronic MiniMed G Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm Veo Animas Vibe with Dexcom G4 sensors.

Man at Doctor's office. Some popular patch insulin pumps include: Omnipod DASH A8 TouchCare Nano Patch Pump Equil Patch Insulin Pump System Kit. Large Insulin Capacity: Tethered pumps have a larger capacity for storing insulin, making them suitable for individuals who require high insulin doses Advanced Programming Features: Tethered pumps often have advanced programming features and can be integrated with smartphones, watches, CGMs, and more.

Some popular tethered insulin pumps include: Tandem T-slim X2 Insulin Pump Kaleido Starter Kit UK MiniMed G Insulin Pump Mylife YpsoPump MiniMed G Insulin Pump Dana Diabecare i-Insulin Pump. A man counting his money.

Source: Pexels. You'll also need to purchase other items as part of your insulin pump therapy and for your pump to work, such as the following: Cannulas and tubing Batteries Dressing, adhesives, and alcohol wipes Insulin although it's usually covered by your insurance These items, excluding insulin, can cost you an additional £ per year.

Some of the most popular insulin pump manufacturers include: Dana I Medtronic Medtrum OmniPod Tandem Diabetes Ypsopump These insulin pump brands have models with unique features, customizations, and settings.

However, insulin pumps are much more common with the following individuals: Type 1 Diabetics: People with type 1 diabetes usually take multiple daily insulin injections, so an insulin pump is a more practical and less painful option Unstable Blood Sugar: People with unstable blood glucose levels usually need three or more daily insulin doses and can benefit from an insulin pump.

A pump also provides accurate insulin delivery, so the uniform daily dosing can help stabilize their erratic blood sugar. Carb Counting: People who are carb counting often use an insulin pump to gauge how their body reacts to carbohydrates in different foods and drinks. This can help your doctor determine the perfect insulin-to-carb ratio for managing blood sugar levels.

Pregnancy: The American Diabetes Association also recommends an insulin pump for women planning pregnancy , especially if they're likely to develop gestational diabetes. More flexibility with food: Pumps allow you to adjust your insulin doses to cover spikes in your blood sugar levels according to the food you eat Accurate insulin doses: Insulin pumps deliver the exact amount of insulin you need into the subcutaneous tissue for optimal absorption Fewer needles: You don't need to poke yourself with a needle and syringe multiple times daily.

Learning curve: Insulin pump therapy requires some initial training and getting used to, which can be easier with the help of your diabetes management team Risk of DKA: Increased risk of DKA diabetic ketoacidosis happens when your body relies on the pump's fast-acting insulin day and night.

The X2 is the latest iteration of the signature touchscreen insulin pump from California company Tandem Diabetes Care, first introduced back in The X2 has built-in Bluetooth connectivity, and received FDA clearance in It was launched to market the following year. What makes it stand out from competitors are the color touchscreen display and innovative insulin cartridge design.

The latest iterations of this pump bring more closed loop capabilities: either an auto-insulin shutoff feature known as Basal-IQ , launched in , or their more advanced Control-IQ algorithm , launched in early , that auto-adjusts insulin delivery to offset high blood sugars. Currently, this pump only works with the Dexcom CGM, but Tandem has agreements for future integration with other CGMs, including the Abbott FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor.

Medtronic has been a long-time leader in tubed insulin pump technology. They are also the only company that manufactures both a pump and a CGM. In fact, Medtronic is the oldest pump company on the market, beginning with their acquisition of Minimed back in It has the ability to predictively alert users to impending low blood sugars, and can adjust insulin accordingly or shut off background insulin if the user reaches a low threshold.

In , Medtronic launched the G. With the same form factor as the G, this newer model adds Bluetooth connectivity so that it can work with smartphone apps.

Importantly, this system is FDA approved for adults and kids as young as 2 years old right from the start — instead of starting with adults and doing pediatric studies later, which is traditionally the case. The only full-featured tubeless insulin pump on the market is made by the Boston-area company Insulet Corp.

First launched in , this system has gone through a few iterations before the Omnipod DASH system was released in The DASH model has built-in Bluetooth and touchscreen PDM with color display. The newest Omnipod also no longer houses a built-in fingerstick glucose meter as earlier models did.

That is expected in late or early While insulin pumps have largely been aimed at the T1D population of people on intensive insulin therapy, data shows these devices can have a huge benefit for those living with type 2 diabetes T2D who use insulin as well. Beyond the above-mentioned pumps, there are two other pump devices aimed specifically at the type 2 population:.

Despite the large user base, the manufacturer Valeritas filed for bankruptcy in and sold the V-Go to Denmark-based biotech firm Zealand Pharma, which also has a rescue glucagon pen now available in the United States.

Through the V-Go product page, you can find more information about this device and how to begin the process to buy one. Omnipod-maker Insulet has been talking about its interest in offering a higher-concentrated insulin delivery device aimed at the T2D population for a number of years now.

This remains in development as of and there is no official timeline on when this might become available. Medtronic is enthusiastic about customers being able to easily upgrade to G and newer features remotely, rather than requiring a new hardware purchase.

FDA approval is expected in the second half of , with a launch following that. It will be a hybrid of sorts, roughly half the size of the existing t:slim X2 pump and without any display screen at all. Notably, this will be a patch pump with no tubing, that includes a side-button to administer a quick insulin dose directly from the device itself.

The t:sport will stick to the skin with an adhesive, but unlike the Omnipod, would be detachable for short periods of time. The hope is to give customers a choice of how they want to use it: either via smartphone app, or a separate receiver device.

Tandem had originally planned to submit this to FDA for consideration by mid, but delays due to the COVID crisis have pushed that timeline back. Many people still get these insulin pumps to use, despite not being able to buy them directly from manufacturers or most third-party suppliers.

In its heyday, the Minimed was monumental because it did what no other insulin pump had done before: It automatically suspended insulin delivery if you crossed a certain low glucose threshold.

The discontinuation of those classic Medtronic pump models that looked like colorful pagers marked the end of an era. The Minimed Revel and Paradigm designs, as well as the G with auto-shutoff for low blood sugars , are actually still widely used but are no longer being manufactured or sold by the company.

The supplies are becoming more difficult to find as time moves forward. The popular Animas Ping and Vibe insulin pumps were the latest in a long line of their tubed insulin pumps through the years. The company stopped manufacturing its devices and transferred remaining customers to Medtronic for supplies and pump support up until Some people are still using Animas devices, but with different infusion sets and supplies obtained through third-party vendors.

Another longtime insulin pump manufacturer was Roche Diabetes Care, with its Accu-Chek pump line. In , Roche acquired Disetronic and used that as base technology to eventually rebrand and launch the Accu-Chek Spirit pump in That evolved through the years, but Roche eventually stopped selling this pump in the United States in early , and transferred all remaining customers to Medtronic for support and supplies.

Like Animas in , customers were then forced to switch pump brands or go through third-party suppliers to continue using the unit. The future of insulin pumping definitely appears to be connecting these devices to CGMs for improved blood glucose control.

This of course has pushed to the forefront the issue of device interoperability and do-it-yourself DIY technology. Behind this evolution has been pressure from the patient community rallying behind a WeAreNotWaiting mantra — pushing to get innovative technology out more quickly and allow data and device integration.

Many of the folks creating DIY connected systems are using older, discontinued insulin pumps such as the Minimed Revel and Paradigm models.

Despite an FDA warning and mainstream media concern that surfaced in , thousands of people are now safely and successfully using these homemade systems. Most companies do offer payment plans, too. Most private insurance companies cover insulin pumps under the durable medical equipment DME portion of the policy.

The paperwork can be somewhat daunting, so most insulin pump companies offer help in the form of dedicated insurance service teams that work with patients to apply for coverage. This became quite controversial after Medtronic signed an exclusive deal with United Healthcare UHC in , locking their members in to that brand of pump only.

A similar deal followed in for the latest Medtronic tech approved for children. Health insurance hurdles can definitely add an additional layer of difficulty in trying to decide which insulin pump is your best choice. This really depends on many factors, both personal and institutional.

Talking to your healthcare professional about the different options and what might work best for your diabetes management is always advisable, as well as reviewing credible and reliable information online about how the various technologies work.

User reviews can also make a big difference in deciding on which insulin pump may be right for you. You can start by checking out our product reviews here at DiabetesMine on Medtronic , Omnipod and Tandem pumps. Yet, the long-term sustainability of a company like Medtronic brings market recognition and many healthcare professionals continue turning to that brand.

Insulin pumps can be a great option for both adults and children with diabetes. They offer a ton of flexibility and features to help you optimize your glucose control.

Modern pumps have multiple features that can allow for more customization in how you manage diabetes, as well as the different supplies that you use. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.