Two types of modern, pre-filled insulin syringes.

An insulin pen is used to inject insulin for the treatment of diabetes. It is composed of an insulin cartridge (integrated or bought separately) and a dial to measure the dose, and is used with disposable Pen needles to deliver the dose.

[edit] Types of pens

A number of companies make insulin pens including Novo Nordisk, Aventis and Eli Lilly. These companies produce pens for most of their insulins, including NovoLog/NovoRapid, Humalog, Levemir and Lantus.

There are two pen systems: durable and prefilled.

• A durable pen uses a replaceable insulin cartridge. When the insulin cartridge is empty, the empty cartridge is disposed of and a new one is inserted in the pen.

• A prefilled pen is entirely disposable. The pen comes pre-filled with insulin, and when the insulin cartridge or reservoir is empty, the entire unit is discarded.

Most brands of insulin are now available for use in pens, these include:

• NovoLog, NovoRapid and Levemir by Novo Nordisk

• Lantus and Apidra by Sanofi-Aventis

• Humulin and Humalog by Eli Lilly

[edit] Use

Insulin pens are used by 90% to 95% of insulin-treated patients in Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia with excellent results.^[1] They are currently underutilized but growing in use in the United States.

Insulin pens offer several significant advantages over insulin syringes: ease of handling, accuracy, and more discreet to use.

To use a pen:

• Screw or click on a new pen needle
• If necessary, prime the pen to remove any air from the needle
• Turn the knob on the end of the pen (or "dial") to the number of units needed
• Insert the needle into the skin
• Press the button on the end of the pen to deliver the dose
• Count to five
• Remove

[edit] Advantages

Insulin pens have a number of advantages:

• More convenient and easier to transport than traditional vial and syringe
• Repeatedly more accurate dosages
• Easier to use for those with visual or fine motor skills impairments
• Less injection pain (as polished and coated needles are not dulled by insertion into a vial of insulin before a second insertion into the skin)

It is important that proper injection sites on the body are used. A healthcare provider helps determine the best injection site for a patient. In general, recommended injection sites include the abdomen, parts of the buttocks and thigh areas.^[2]

[edit] Disadvantages

Unlike with the traditional syringe, two different insulins cannot be mixed in an insulin pen.^[3] In addition, using pens and pen needles is usually usually more expensive than using the traditional vial and syringe method; insurance coverage for insulin pens in the United States may vary widely.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Insulin pump
• Insulin syringe
• Insulin port
• Injection port
• Pen needles

[edit] External links

• Levemir FlexPen
• Novolog FlexPen
• Clickfine Pen Needles
• BD Pen Needles [1]

Owen Mumford Autopen and Unifine Pentips www.owenmumford.com