Insulin pen

Pen (English pin ) is the name for an injection tool in the form of a thick pen, which is used for simple injection of a pre-set quantity of a drug. A typical application is the insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus. Insulin pens easier to transport and unobtrusive to use as insulin from a conventional syringe. They are, except in the United States, now the most widely used system for insulin injection.

Types

Most commonly are pens that are equipped with a replaceable cartridge with the drug.

For patients who are afraid of needles, semi-automatic pens are available in which the insertion of the cannula to the skin occurs after placement by a spring.

Einmalpens contain a non-replaceable, filled vial. This can give the medication depending on the manufacturer in dose increments of 1 or 2 units (with insulin) or in predetermined dosages (eg growth hormones).

Not able to prevail so far needle-free injection systems. In these systems the active ingredient is pressed by means of a gas or by high pressure through orifices of a hairline special vial at high speed into the tissue. The handling of these systems is expensive, freedom from pain is not guaranteed and clinical studies showing an effect of equivalence to conventional systems, are not available. In the resource directory of the statutory health insurance in 2011, the systems are not listed.

Construction

The pin-shaped housing carries forward a replaceable cap with a short cannula. At the end of the pin is a rotatable ring and a display window to which the dose is set. The ring ends in a snap. In case there is a vial with mostly 3 ml insulin.

Decomposed insulin pen as with the cartridge exchange with insulin vial

Sterile packaging cannula for insulin pen