Creative Device Makes Insulin Injections Easier

A discreet injection delivery device used in conjunction with a syringe or insulin pen allows for multiple daily injections without repeated skin punctures.

The i-port Injection Port is a small, circular, low profile device about the size of a coin. When the i-port is applied, an insertion needle guides a tiny, flexible tube under the skin. The insertion needle is then removed and only the minuscule soft tube remains below the skin, acting as the medication gateway into the subcutaneous tissue. An adhesive layer keeps the small device in place. Once on the skin, the needle of a syringe or insulin pen is used to deliver medication. The needle remains above the surface of the skin, delivering the medication through the soft tube and into the subcutaneous tissue, without further puncturing the skin. The i-port is small enough so that once applied, most people do not even notice it is in place. For a person requiring four injections per day, the i-port could reduce the total number of skin punctures from 120 per month to as few as 10 per month. The i-port is intended for diabetics who administer, or to whom is administered, multiple daily subcutaneous injections of physician-prescribed medications, including insulin. It may be used on a wide range of patients, including adults and children. The i-port Injection Port is a product of Patton Medical Devices (Austin, TX, USA), and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"When I first started taking multiple daily insulin injections, I felt like a pin cushion,” said Catherine (KK) Patton, inventor of the i-port and founder of Patton Medical Devices. "I knew there had to be a better way to manage my diabetes without the repeated needle sticks, and I knew that I was not the only person with diabetes who felt this way. So I came up with something better.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA), there are 24 million people suffering from diabetes in the United States alone, and more than six million of them take injections of some kind as part or all of their treatment. Results from a recent survey of 500 people with diabetes who require insulin showed that 83% would like to reduce the number of injections they have to give themselves each day, and 33% of respondents have experienced some level of dread relating to insulin injections. Additionally, more than 29% of individuals surveyed felt that injecting insulin was the hardest aspect of their diabetes care, and 47% would be more likely to administer their injections regularly if a product was available that would ease the pain and discomfort of injections.

Related Links:
Patton Medical Devices
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention