Insulin pump failures in Italian children with Type 1 diabetes: retrospective 1‐year cohort study

• Published in: Diabetic medicine 2017-05, Vol.34 (5), p.621-624
• Main Authors: Rabbone, I., Minuto, N., Bonfanti, R., Marigliano, M., Cerutti, F., Cherubini, V., d'Annunzio, G., Frongia, A. P., Iafusco, D., Ignaccolo, G., Lombardo, F., Schiaffini, R., Toni, S., Tumini, S., Zucchini, S., Pistorio, A., Scaramuzza, A. E., Lera, R., Secco, A., Bobbio, A., Bechaz, M., Piccinno, E., Natale, M.P., Ortolani, F., Zecchino, C., Lonero, A., Maltoni, G., Pasquino, B., Gallo, F., Frongia, P., Ripoli, C., Lo Presti, D., Timpanaro, T., Citriniti, F., Suprani, T., Carinci, S., Cipriano, P., Lazzaro, N., Donno, V., Gallarotti, F., Lenzi, L., Piccini, B., Vittorio, L., Russo, C., Borea, R., Mammì, F., Bruzzese, M., Ventrici, C., Salzano, G., Frontino, G., Bonura, C., Favalli, V., Scaramuzza, A., Zuccotti, G.V., Ferrari, M., Iughetti, L., Predieri, B., Franzese, A., Mozzillo, E., Buono, P., Confetto, S., Zanfardino, A., Cadario, F., Savastio, S., Fiorito, C., Barbieri, P., Piredda, G., Cardella, F., Ropolo, R., Federico, G., Marchi, B., Benevento, D., Carducci, C., Mancabitti, M.L., Del Vecchio, M., Lapolla, R., Gaiero, A., Fichera, G., Ignaccolo, M.G., Tinti, D., Cauvin, V., Franceschi, R., Biagioni, M., Salvatoni, A., Scolari, A., Maffeis, C., Sabbion, A., Arnaldi, C., Tosini, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - instrumentation; Child; Child, Preschool; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - epidemiology; Equipment Failure - statistics & numerical data; Failure; Female; Humans; Infant; Insulin; Insulin - administration & dosage; Insulin Infusion Systems; Italy - epidemiology; Male; Pumps; Retrospective Studies; Teenagers
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/dme.13294

Aims Insulin pump failure and/or malfunction requiring replacement have not been thoroughly investigated. This study evaluated pump replacement in children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes using insulin pump therapy. Methods Data were collected for all participants younger than 19 years, starting insulin pump therapy before 31 December 2013. For each child, age, disease duration, date of insulin pump therapy initiation, insulin pump model, failure/malfunction/replacement yes/no and reason were considered for the year 2013. Results Data were returned by 40 of 43 paediatric centres belonging to the Diabetes Study Group of the Italian Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology. In total, 1574 of 11 311 (13.9%) children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes were using an insulin pump: 29.2% Animas VIBE™, 9.4% Medtronic MiniMed 715/515™, 34.3% Medtronic MiniMed VEO™, 24.3% Accu‐Check Spirit Combo™ and 2.8% other models. In 2013, 0.165 insulin pump replacements per patient‐year (11.8% due to pump failure/malfunction and 4.7% due to accidental damage) were recorded. Animas VIBE™ (22.1%) and Medtronic MiniMed VEO™ (17.7%) were the most replaced. Conclusions In a large cohort of Italian children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, insulin pump failure/malfunction and consequent replacement are aligned with rates previously reported and higher in more sophisticated pump models. What's new? Insulin pump failure/malfunction and consequent replacement rate in a large cohort of Italian children with Type 1 diabetes are comparable with previously reported data. Insulin pump failure/malfunction is higher in more sophisticated pump models. No relationship between metabolic control and insulin pump failure has been confirmed on a much larger cohort than previously described.