| Relevant features |
Choice of the catheter |
| Insertion into the skin | |
| •Diagonal | Catheter with needle for diagonal insertion; depending on how thick the skin is the needle is inserted more or less diagonal (e.g. Disetronic Classic) |
| •Vertical | Catheter with needles varying in length (6-12mm) for different strength of the subcutaneous adipose tissue (e.g. Disetronic Rapid) |
| Length of the tube (connecting the insulin ampoule and the catheter needle) |
The length of the catheter tube (between 30 - 110 cm) is chosen depending where the pump will be carried. The catheter should not bother you in ordinary life.
My advice: Take into your consideration that there might be situations in which a short catheter might be a nuisance, although in ordinary life you are wearing the pump near to the cannula and think of a longer tube as obstructive. If you choose a short catheter, you better get some longer tubes as well, you will need them. |
| Material of the needle | |
| •steel | Thin steel needles are sharp and have a coated surface. Therefore they usually are easy to insert.
My opinion: When I tried steel needles in the hospital, I noticed that I always felt them. *g* To my mind, while doing sports teflon needles are not quite a bother as steel needles. |
| •plastic (teflon) | These needles are mainly employed by diabetics who cannot stand metal needles (e.g. nickel allergy). To insert a plastic needle there is a leading needle inside which is extricated after punctuation. (e.g. MiniMed Quick-Set) |
| Possibility of unhitching the catheter tube | The needle remains in the skin
Nowadays the possibility of unhitching the catheter tube is regarded as indispensable. To be able to separate tube and needle for a short time enables to go to sauna or swimming pool without great bother. After separating tube and needle the needle remains in the skin and is protected with a special cover. |
| Catheter circle (Place on which the needle is fixed | |
| •self-sticking | A catheter with self-sticking circle only has to be pressed on the skin after insertion. The advantage is the simple handling. Te disadvantage: If the tube is pulled with too much power the needle might be partly extricated. |
| •not-self-sticking | Adherence with a foil is necessary if the catheter has no self-sticking circle. |
in Version 00.08.49
