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. 2016 Oct 14:9:371-376.
doi: 10.2147/MDER.S116666. eCollection 2016.

Comparison of rechargeable versus battery-operated insulin pumps: temperature fluctuations

Paul Vereshchetin  1 , Thomas W McCann Jr  1 , Navdeep Ojha  1 , Ramakrishna Venugopalan  1 , Brian L Levy  1
Affiliations

Comparison of rechargeable versus battery-operated insulin pumps: temperature fluctuations

Paul Vereshchetin et al. Med Devices (Auckl). .

Abstract

The role of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (insulin pumps) has become increasingly important in diabetes management, and many different types of these systems are currently available. This exploratory study focused on the reported heating issues that lithium-ion battery-powered pumps may have during charging compared with battery-operated pumps. It was found that pump temperature increased by 6.4°C during a long charging cycle of a lithiumion battery-operated pump under ambient temperatures. In an environmental-chamber kept at 35°C, the pump temperature increased by 4.4°C, which indicates that the pump temperature was above that of the recommended safety limit for insulin storage of 37°C. When designing new pumps, and when using currently available rechargeable pumps in warmer climates, the implications of these temperature increases should be taken into consideration. Future studies should also further examine insulin quality after charging.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; heating; insulin pumps; safety.

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Conflict of interest statement

This study was sponsored by Animas Corporation. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ambient (A) and environmental-chamber (B) temperature-measurement set up and sensor placement (C). Note: Images show infrared camera on tripod, foam board containing six battery-operated pumps, six rechargeable pumps, and two sensors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ambient-temperature results. Notes: Battery and rechargeable battery pump temperatures, insulin degradation temperature, and ambient air temperatures shown, measured over 180 minutes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Enviromental-chamber temperature results. Notes: Battery and rechargeable battery pump temperatures, insulin degradation temperature, and chamber temperatures are shown, measured over 180 minutes in a controlled (35°C) environment.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Infrared image of temperature increases in rechargeable pumps, with the layout of the devices in the top-left corner. Note: Measurements were performed in the environmental-chamber which was maintained at a constant temperature (35°C, 95°F).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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