Insulin pen can be used in two ways. We should pay attention to the choice of injection site.

Although insulin therapy is of great significance to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, it is not easy for them to stick to insulin injection every day. They should overcome the fear of injection and the embarrassment of pre-injection. An insulin injection pen which combines the shape of the pen with the insulin syringe skillfully has been favored by most patients because it is safer, more convenient to inject, more accurate to control dosage, and at the same time, it protects the privacy of patients. Now let's go into details:

Why does insulin pen come from?

Syringes, high-pressure insulin syringes, insulin pumps and pens are the "four parts" in the history of insulin injection devices. Although insulin injection pen has not been used for a long time, it is specially designed according to the actual needs of diabetic patients. Insulin liquid is stored in the pen core, which is connected with the pen body. The pen body is a regulator. The disposable needle specially designed is super-fine and super-short, and the pain is very light.

There are two kinds of pens: one is disposable insulin pen and the other is reusable insulin pen. Disposable insulin pens: Some insulin pens are disposable. When they are used up, they are thrown away with the pen core and replaced with a new pen. These insulin pens are simple and hygienic. At present, there are few insulin pens in China. Reusable insulin pen: When the core is used up, replace the core and reuse it. The insulin pen can be used for many years, even for life. At present, the main type of insulin pen available in China is Runohe pen 3.

There are several main types of insulin pens from manufacturers: Novo Nordisk, Lilly, Becton Dickinson, Autopen (Owen Mumford).

How to use the insulin pen?

When many diabetic patients inject insulin, they are accustomed to needling in one place to form adipose hyperplasia, and then needling will not feel pain. In fact, this affects the absorption of insulin and the control of blood sugar very much. The latest "Study on Prevalence and Risk Factors of Fatty Hyperplasia by Insulin Injection in Chinese Diabetic Patients" shows that the prevalence of Fatty Hyperplasia is as high as 53.0%.  These patients needed 11 units more insulin per day and consumed more insulin than those without adipose hyperplasia.

The correct injection method is to rotate the injection site in a large area to avoid fat hyperplasia and help insulin absorb better. The standardized rotation of injection sites includes: rotation between different injection sites, i.e. between abdomen, arm, thigh and buttock; rotation between regions within the same injection site, moving the distance of about one finger width from the last injection site for the next injection, and avoiding the repeated use of the same injection site within a month as far as possible. Once the injection site is found to have pain, depression, induration and other phenomena, it should be avoided immediately until the above phenomena disappear.

Watch out for these mistakes when using insulin pens

There are several points needing special attention when patients are injecting insulin pens. First of all, the meal time should be determined before injection, and the injection should be made 30-45 minutes before meal. Prepare alcohol cotton balls, needles, insulin pens and insulin. Pay attention to the fact that insulin pens and insulin must be the same manufacturer's products in order to avoid mismatching. Check the dose of insulin again. The appearance of insulin was examined carefully. Medium and long-acting insulin or premixed 50/50 and 70/30 insulin were homogeneous suspensions, shaking gently and then showing Milky shape.  If there is sediment at the bottom of the bottle or a layer of frost-like material adheres to the wall of the bottle after gentle shaking, the drug can no longer be used.

Secondly, patients should choose to inject in the appropriate body area. Commonly used insulin injection sites include the lateral arm, abdomen, thigh, buttocks. Each injection site can be divided into several injection areas, 2 square centimeters for an injection area. Each injection site should be rotated rather than injected several times in a single injection area. Abdomen is the preferred site for insulin injection, and the insulin absorption rate can reach 100%. Abdominal absorption is faster and subcutaneous tissue is thicker, which can reduce the risk of injection into the muscular layer.

Thirdly, adequate doses of insulin must be checked before each injection.  When injecting, gently pinch the skin at the injection site with the left hand, and directly insert the needle into the pinched skin with the insulin pen in the right hand, then push the liquid into the pinched skin. After the injection, the thumb is removed from the dosage knob, the needle stays under the skin for more than 10 seconds, then the needle is pulled out, and the needle eye is pressed with a dry cotton swab for more than 3 minutes.  After the injection, the insulin pen should be covered with an inner needle cap, the needle should be rotated off, the discarded needle should be discarded, and the pen cap should be worn back.