title: Toddlers' diabetes: the lost insulin drop and SemiPens vs. DeciPen.
abstract: Background: While childhood diabetes incidence is rising, especially in toddlers, once or twice-daily toddler-friendly insulin mixtures were withdrawn, imposing four to five miniscule injections, on needle-phobic toddlers. Although more injections may mean more needle-dribbling, such potential dose-loss is unstudied.Objective: Study insulin loss in toddlers' dose range if one-drop dribbled during injection from half-unit pens (SemiPens). Drop-loss is assessed relative to current insulin dose adjustment, and if significant, propose solutions.Methods: The SemiPens, New HumaPen Luxura HD® (HumaPen) and NovoPen Junior® (NovoPen), with 31G-5mm BD-MicroFine needles were used to study drop size or dose-fraction lost if one drop dribbled in dose range 0.5-10 units.Results: HumaPen and NovoPen produced sizable drops mean standard deviation (SD) 0.30 (0.05) and 0.36 (0.06) units/drop (p<0.001). This constituted progressively increasing proportion of the toddlers' doses, 10-fold higher percentage from 6 to 60% or 7.2 to 72%, as the dose gets smaller from 5 to 0.5 units.Discussion: Insulin dose-adjustments are usually done therapeutically within 5-20% dose-changes, while one-step reduction by >20% is hardly required.Therefore, the unintentional dosing change if a drop dribbles is clinically important particularly on using multiple doses below 6 units, compared with fewer larger daily injections. We propose using U20 insulin in disposable SemiPens to make DeciPen, with fivefold-reduction in insulin loss if a drop is lost through dribbling or skin-leak.Conclusion: The one-drop insulin loss is statistically significant, clinically important, and potentiates glycemic variability. Disposable DeciPen may minimize insulin dribbling and leaking and fivefold improve dose accuracy and precision; and ensure reproducibility without prolonging injection time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, NHS Fife, Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, UK.
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Abul-Ainine
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Abul-Ainine
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007223:Infant; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin