Insulet - OmniPod
Making diabetes a smaller part of life
The OmniPod Insulin Management System is an innovative new product for the treatment of diabetes that brings together safe, reliable, insulin delivery and blood glucose monitoring in an easy-to-use, two-part system.
For people with diabetes, blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections are a significant part of life. A majority of people with diabetes administer their insulin by giving themselves shots, but a smaller group handles insulin delivery by taking advantage of Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII). Conventional CSII therapy involves wearing a device that pumps insulin directly into the body via a tubing set and cannula. The delivery of insulin in a continuous manner more closely mimics the function of a healthy pancreas and allows the patient to lead a more normal life, but patients find conventional pumps clumsy and difficult to use. In order to bring the health benefits of CSII therapy to a greater number of diabetes patients, while minimizing the inconvenience of conventional insulin pumps, Insulet and Continuum collaborated to create a technological breakthrough, the world’s smallest and easiest to use insulin delivery device.
"You just know the design team here worked closely with diabetes patients when developing this system." - John Thackara, director, Doors of Perception
The result is the OmniPod Insulin Management System, comprised of a tiny, disposable pump that attaches directly to the user’s skin, and the Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM), a wireless handheld controller with onboard glucose meter that programs the OmniPod with insulin delivery instructions and monitors its operation. The PDM also controls the automated insertion of the cannula, a process that users of conventional infusion pumps find particularly unpleasant. The OmniPod's design allows users to wear it in several different locations (abdomen, hip, leg, etc.) virtually undetected. Each wearable unit is designed to provide a three day supply of insulin using revolutionary pumping, power management, and control features. At all times, the handheld controller remains linked to the OmniPod, continuously delivering precise, personalized insulin dosages. This award-winning collaboration between Continuum and Insulet has opened the door to CSII therapy for a greater number of people with diabetes, making their condition a smaller part of life.
"From a patient's perspective, this design reduces to the perception of a healthcare product to that of a digital assistant. Overall, this system is leading the direction of consumer medical products." - Tor Alden, IDSA, principal, HS Design Inc
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