Portable Insulin Delivery Systems for Diabetes Control

摘要

This report describes the development of a unique insulin delivery system. It has been fully tested first on the bench, then on animals and finally in clinical studies on diabetic patients. The miniature device is external, portable and fully programmable to accommodate all the perceived needs of the diabetic. The patient's device is a complete system consisting of a refillable insulin reservoir, a miniature pump, and a hand-held microprocessor-based flow rate controller. It is complemented by a sophisticated programming system for the physician which is also hand-held and micro-processor based. The major impediment to reducing the present system to an implant now is the self-association of all regular insulins into highly insoluble crystalline/amorphous aggregates. These block the fluid path of pumps so that eventually treatment failure always results.