Optimising Insulin Pump Therapy symposium to be held in Stockholm on 14 September, 2015

Sep 7 2015

Conference reviewing Insulin Pump Therapy is first of its kind in Europe

A symposium on optimising insulin pump therapy, particularly focused on infusion set failures, will be held in advance of the 51^st European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting on 14^th September 2015 in Stockholm.

Led by six leading endocrinologists and diabetes specialists from Europe and the USA, the Optimising Insulin Pump Therapy symposium will be the first in Europe to focus on the phenomenon of insulin flow interruptions and silent occlusions – complications that can occur when using insulin pumps and infusion sets.

Insulin flow interruptions, defined in research studies as a continuous rise in inline pressure lasting at least 30 minutes, may lead to unexplained hyperglycaemia in some patients. Without triggering an occlusion alarm, these events are known as “silent occlusions.” Approximately two thirds of current insulin pump users have been shown to experience periods of unexplained hyperglycaemia, thought due to insulin flow interruptions that often go undetected by the pump occlusion alarm system. Because people with type 1 diabetes do not make insulin, an interruption in flow from a pump may lead to a lack of insulin in the patient that can cause blood glucose levels to rise quickly.

Insulin pump therapy is one of the most advanced treatments for people with diabetes but, relative to its importance, there has been an inadequate level of research into reliability of insulin delivery, and on infusion sets in particular, which have been called “the Achilles heel” of CSII. The Optimising Insulin Pump Therapy symposium seeks to present and discuss knowledge gaps and technical issues associated with the use of insulin infusion sets, including flow interruptions and silent occlusions.

The symposium will be the first in Europe to discuss this topic and will consider effective strategies to improve patient and healthcare professional knowledge around insulin infusion sets, as well as review potential benefits of new infusion set technology in clinical care. The Optimising Insulin Pump Therapy symposium is being held in advance of the EASD Annual Meeting and takes place on Monday 14 September 2015 from 14:30 – 17:00 at Stockholmsmässan, Rahbar Hall B, Stockholm, Sweden. The symposium is being supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Becton Dickinson (BD).