Gentle and safe injections Tips and tricks for injecting insulin More freedom. More confidence. With mylife.
Tip 1 The pen needle that fits For achieving a good insulin dose effect it is essential to inject the insulin into the subcutaneous tissue and not into the skin or muscle. Therefore the choice of the correct needle length is an important factor and depends on: Patient Group 1, 2, 3 Orientation guide* without skin fold vertical injection with skin fold vertical or without skin fold angled injection Children and adolescents 4 mm 6 mm Adults 4 mm 6 mm 8 mm With shorter pen needles you reduce the risk of intramuscular injections. The thickness of the skin is approx. 1.9 2.4 mm in all injection areas, independent of BMI, age and gender 2. Injections with pen needles, between 4 5 mm in length at a 90 angle insertion, allow a delivery of insulin into the subcuntaneous fat tissue 2,3. *Note: Consult your health care professi onal for a suitable needle length. Use needles for your injection pen after consultation with your doctor and /or health care professional.
Tip 2 Preparing insulin injections Attaching the needle Screw needle onto the pen until its fully seated. Make sure you do not tilt the needle while screwing it onto the pen. UNIVERSAL TWIST Two gauges allow a fast and easy fixation. Universal Twist to fit all major pens. Before injecting check the free flow of medication by priming the device according to the instructions for use of your injection pen. This prevents incorrect insulin dosage resulting from air in the cartridge or a blocked needle.
Tip 3 Injecting in the correct way 1 Change injection sites on a regular basis in rotation. Sites should be a minimum of 3 cm apart to avoid tissue hardening (Lipohypertrophy). Inject higher insulin dosages slowly. This is known to improve adsorption of the insulin into the subcutaneous tissue. Rapid-acting insulin should be applied into the abdominal region with a minimum distance of 3 cm from the navel. Using long-acting insulin, inject into the thigh or buttocks rather than the abdominal region. This may prolong the effective period. Avoid injections into the upper arms as you may hit muscle tissue. Suitable sites for insulin injections Rotation scheme for injection sites
Tip 4 Use pen needles only once By using the pen needle more than once the user takes the following risks: Pen needle becomes blunt, bent and the gliding film may erode. Injections become more painful. Injection leads to small injuries and bruising. The pen needle is no longer sterile after initial use. Reuse of the pen needle is unhygienic. Increased risk of infections. Insulin can crystallise in the pen needle. Pen needle may become clogged and a safe insulin injection is no longer guaranteed. Presence or increase in size of air bubbles in the cartridge. Insulin may drip out of pen needle after the injection. Insulin dose becomes inaccurate. New pen needle Needle after multiple use (with tissue residue attached)
Tissue hardening (Lipohypertrophy) A damaged pen needle due to reuse causes injuries or even bleeding of the injection site which may lead to tissue hardening (Lipohypertrophy). Injections into hardened tissue (Lipohypertrophy) affects insulin absorption making the insulin dose effectiveness difficult to calculate. The consequences are unexplainable blood sugar fluctuations. Note: When injections become more painful they encourage the use of less pain sensitive favourite injection sites into hardened tissue (Lipohypertrophy). Important note for your protection: Pen needles are sterile, single-use devices and are strictly regulated in order to protect the safety and health of patients and users, for example healthcare professionals. The user is liable for damage caused by improper handling such as the reuse of needles. Examples of lipohypertrophy
mylife Penfine Classic Pen needle fits all major brands of injection pens 5 User-friendly colour coding to differentiate pen needle length. mylife Penfine Classic For all those who like to be active when out and about now with new thin-wall technology for less physical effort when injecting. 4 mm 6 mm 8 mm Follow the instructions for use of your injection pen before using a mylife Penfine Classic pen needle. Consult your physician for the right needle length for you. Order free samples. Our Customer Service will be pleased to oblige if you call the free service number 0800 9776633. 1 VDBD-Leitfaden (Verband der Diabetes-Beratungs-und Schulungsberufe in Deutschland e.v., www.vdbd.de) Die Injektion bei Diabetes mellitus, 2011 2 Gibney et al: Skin and subcutaneous adipose layer thickness in adults with diabetes at sites used for insulin injections : Implications for needle length recommendations Current Medical Research & Opinion Vol. 26, No. 6, 1519 1530, 2010 3 Hirsch et al: Comparative glycemic control, safety and patient ratings for a new 4 mm \ 32 G insulin pen needle in adults with diabetes Current Medical Research & Opinion Vol. 26, No. 6, 1531 1541, 2010 4 Wittmann A et al. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2010, 12(8):587-590. 5 See pen needle box
More freedom. More confidence. With mylife. Blood glucose monitoring systems Pen needles and safety pen needles Infusion systems Accessories and services mylife is a range of products and services for people with diabetes. It offers them everything they need for easy and reliable self-treatment, giving them more freedom and more confidence for the life they want to lead. 700000741/10043146-MSTR-IN-UK-en/V02 Headquarters Ypsomed AG // Brunnmattstrasse 6 // 3401 Burgdorf // Switzerland // info@ypsomed.com // www.mylife-diabetescare.com // +41 34 424 41 11 India Ypsomed India Private Ltd. // 10/61/1-F, Kirti Nagar Industrial Area // New Delhi-110015 // info@ypsomed.co.in // www.mylife-diabetescare.co.in // Customer Care: 099999 75157 United Kingdom Ypsomed Ltd. // 1 Park Court // Riccall Road // Escrick // YO19 6ED // info@ypsomed.co.uk // www.mylife-diabetescare.co.uk // Customer Care: 0800 092 6787