I have an Animas Vibe, which I am looking forward to trading in soon. I’ve been fairly frustrated with it.
One such frustration is the alarm I get to prime it. I was told it is a safety mechanism, so if there is air in the tube it shuts off delivery and waits to be re-primed. Some days I have to do this about 10 times!! And it always happens at the worst time, i.e. While driving, working with people I don’t know (the alarm sounds on this pump are really embarrassing), etc…
When I have talked to Animas about this they said I was only supposed to move the syringe in the reservoir so many times when filling, otherwise there could be a problem. (?)
I’ve been on various pumps since 2000, I would consider myself fairly pump savvy. I know I don’t have a lot more time with this pump, does anybody else have this issue? Have you been able to resolve it?
ive had this issue myself…i check the tubing, etc. and then i just prime it again. if it gets to be too much im on the phone with animas. the last time i had a serious issue with it, i had the pump replaced. filling the reservour isnt the issue. ive never had an issue with how many times i get the reservoir ready.
wow, u guys make me extra glad I’ve never use the Animas pump! I can change out a set & reservoir in under 3 minutes and there’s no fussing, using a MM pump. I hate products that are a big hassle, which sounds like what you both are describing.
The occlusion alarm sensitivity is adjustable (Settings > Advanced > ). I like to have mine set to H, and get the occasional random not-primed alarm, often when a site is not working properly, but you have the option of setting Occlusion sensitivity to Low.
I did have problems a couple of years ago when I started to get an excessive number of “not primed” alarms (several per day). Animas replaced the pump and I have not had too many alarms with the new one.
I have used a MedT pump in the past. There is little difference in the time needed to change the reservoir/cartridge. I am about to switch to a Dana - apparently the cartridge fill is a bit complicated and uses a special filling gizmo. However as it is the only new pump that is fully-loopable , I will put up with it.
This is indeed excessive. I used Animas Ping pumps for eight years, very similar to the Vibe but without the CGM integration. I would occasionally get a pump not primed alarm. I remembered these due to the alarm’s insistence that I do a full rewind and reprime – a waste of good battery life and a real nuisance.
I found that giving the insulin cartridge retainer cap a little extra torque would satisfy this overly sensitive system. I never thought about changing the sensitivity in settings from high to low. That’s a good idea. Good luck!
You just reminded me of issues I had with Luer Lock connections. Sometimes they would crack because I tightened them a bit too much. Funny how for years, I didn’t have issues with any bolts, nuts, fittings of any sort in my capacity as an auto tech, including the tightening of very sensitive connectors. Yet the luer locks were something that I found to be unreliable and easily messed up. Too loose, or too tight. That’s why I prefer MM’s proprietary connectors. Never broke one yet.
Yes, I like MM’s secure connection of the infusion set/pump/insulin cartridge connection. The large coarse screw is great. I used MM pumps from 1987 to 2008 and returned to them in 2016. I don’t know when this proprietary connection occurred. I seem to remember a luer-lock connection early on.
One design weakness that Animas shares with MM is the screw cap for the battery. I cracked two Animas pump cases before I learned to be gentle with that connection. MM has the same problem. Now I gently but firmly screw down the battery cap.
MM battery cap uses too fine a thread, IMO. I start it by hand, in the reverse direction first, then gently turn it clockwise. I finish it off with a coin, tightening it to “just barely snug”.
When I’ve had this problem, it was caused by a crack in the pump casing. Took a little while for me to notice it, but once they replaced the damaged pump, the problem when away and has not returned.
It seems like a lot of people had this be an indication that something was wrong with the pump, when I called them they made it sound like it was a problem with the reservoirs. One more reason to go to a different pump (I was planning on it before the discontinued them anyway). That and the stupid clip that kept breaking and they wanted to charge me $20 for. Argh.
MM has had issues with clips breaking as well. they used to have a very durable gray version. then they came out with a clear version of the clip and I have had several of them break. MM replaces the clip for free. In fact, they sent me two the last time I complained, so that I’d have an extra.
Oh good, im likely going to switch to MM, so it’s nice to hear they have decent service. They realize that nickel and diming their pump users isn’t a good business model!
