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. 2018 Dec;9(6):2291-2302.
doi: 10.1007/s13300-018-0514-1. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Pediatric Insulin Injection Technique: A Multi-Country Survey and Clinical Practice Implications

Sanjay Kalra  1 , Laurence J Hirsch  2 , Anders Frid  3 , Asma Deeb  4 , Kenneth W Strauss  5
Affiliations

Pediatric Insulin Injection Technique: A Multi-Country Survey and Clinical Practice Implications

Sanjay Kalra et al. Diabetes Ther. 2018 Dec.

Erratum in

Abstract

Introduction: The 2015 Insulin Injection Technique Questionnaire survey involving 13,289 patients included 898 (6.8%) patients in the pediatric age range (≤ 18 years).

Methods: The younger patients included in the questionnaire survey were grouped according to age: Group 1 (G1), 0-6 years, n = 85; Group 2(G2), 7-13, n = 423; Group 3 (G3), 14-18, n = 390. The injection technique was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and nurse assessment.

Results: Nurses found lipohypertrophy at injection sites in 41.3, 45.2, and 47.3% of patients in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. Unexpected hypoglycemia was common, ranging from 23.8 to 48.1% of patients, and glucose variability was even more common (61.0% in G1, 45.9% in G2, and 52.5% in G3); both conditions were associated with lipohypertrophy. While increasing numbers of patients were using the recommended 4-mm needles, large percentages still used longer ones (33.3% in G1, 45.9% in G2, and 61.5% in G3). The reuse of needles was also common, ranging from 21.1 to 32.5% in the three age groups. Excessive reuse, defined as using a single needle more than five times, was reported by 9.4-21.8% of patients in the three age group. The percentages of patients who had not received any injection training in the last 12 months ranged from 21.2 to 26.8% in the three groups.

Conclusion: Implications of our study are as follows: (1) pediatric patients should use 4-mm pen needles or 6-mm syringes (inserted at a 45° angle); (2) patients aged ≤ 6 years should always inject into a raised skin fold regardless of which device is used; (3) all patients should rotate sites and use needles only once to avoid lipohypertrophy.

Funding: Becton-Dickinson (BD) diabetes care.

Keywords: Injections; Insulin; Lipohypertrophy; Needles; Pediatric; Subcutaneous.

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