What should I be aware of when injecting with an insulin pen?

There are two main treatments for diabetes, one is taking hypoglycaemic drugs and the other is injecting insulin.

Among them, in the treatment of insulin injection, syringes, insulin high-pressure injectors, insulin pumps, insulin pens is the history of the development of injection devices, "four insulin injection pens although the history of the use of insulin injection pen is not long, but this medical device is based on the actual needs of diabetic patients specifically designed.

nsulin eliminates the tedious process of diabetic patients using syringes to draw insulin in insulin vials, and avoids the embarrassment of patients injecting insulin in public. More importantly, it brings convenience to patients with poor eyesight or even blindness to inject insulin.

Insulin pens are generally divided into two types, one is a reusable insulin pen, which can be used for many years, or even for life, by replacing the refill of the pen after it is used up. And the other is a disposable insulin pen. After using it, throw away the pen with the core and replace it with a new one. At present, China's diabetic patients commonly used is the first kind of replacement refill insulin pen.

Insulin pen is very easy to use, insulin medicine is stored in the pen core, the core is connected to the body of the pen which is an instrument to adjust the dosage, the specially designed disposable needle is super fine and short, so there will not be any obvious pain when injecting. In addition, it is convenient to carry and easy to store, so it is trusted by many diabetic patients. Moreover, patients are able to continue to replace the refill after it is used up, saving a large amount of expenditure.

Insulin injection is a "skill" that diabetics should master. In addition to injection, the choice of site is also very critical, because the appropriate injection site not only reduces the risk of injection, but also helps the absorption of insulin. The most suitable site for injection is the abdomen (about 1 cm above pubic symphysis 9, about 1 cm below the lowest rib margin, and 2.5 cm outside the umbilicus), followed by the upper outer third of the thigh, the lower edge of the deltoid muscle 9 of the upper arm, and the upper outer side of the buttocks.

According to statistics, China has been using insulin patients, blood glucose compliance rate is only 37%. The reasons for this are non-standardised rotation of the injection site, incorrect technique when injecting, and insufficient patient education. These injection technical problems affect the effect of insulin therapy to a certain extent, which ultimately leads to a low blood glucose compliance rate. Therefore, only by standardising insulin injection methods can we help patients obtain effective treatment.


Cautions
01 Sterilisation method: 75% alcohol should be used to sterilise the skin for insulin injection, and the skin should be left to dry for injection.

02 Injection method:According to the length of the needle, choose whether to pinch the skin or not, <5mm do not need to pinch the skin. If you need to pinch the skin, pinch up the skin and insert the needle at an angle of 90 degrees; if the subcutaneous fat is 9 less, insert the needle at an angle of 45 degrees. After injection, leave it for 10 seconds before pulling out.

03 Injection site rotation9: Divide the injection site into four quadrants, use one quadrant per week and rotate in a clockwise direction, with each injection at least 1 cm away from the previous one.

04 Needle:Insulin pen needles are used once per injection.

05 Venting:For newly installed insulin pens, be sure to ventilate when injecting for the first time, which can be done on a two-unit basis until the needle fluid is discharged. Failure to vent will affect the dose injected and ultimately the blood glucose level.

06 Insulin storage:For the activated insulin can be stored at a fortunate temperature (≤ 25 degrees) for 4 weeks, unopened insulin refrigerator freezer storage temperature of 2 ~ 8 degrees, do not freeze.
If you find that your blood glucose control is not good, you should check whether the insulin refill is installed correctly and whether the insulin dose is injected accurately. If the problem cannot be solved by yourself, you should consult a specialist clinic as soon as possible.