Cartridge leaking?

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

Anyone ever have a cartridge that leaked into the reservoir on the One Touch Ping? I have had 3 lately, which caused sustained highs over 200 for days. I found the leak after taking an empty cartridge out and seeing that the inside of the cartridge, where the piston had pushed it up, was wet. Then I turned the pump upside down and insulin dripped out. I’ve called Animas Customer Service and they said they will report the lot # the cartridges came from and send a new box. But I have several boxes from the same lot # and am afraid to use them. (I also must note that I’ve already been through 1 box from that lot with no problems.)

So, anyone else had this experience, and any advise you can share? Could it really be defective cartridges or a problem with the pump itself causing the cartridges to leak? Or could it be my error somehow (always possible…)?

2

I’ve never had that happen Melissa. It sounds like you have been at this for a while so it’s not likely you are screwing the inset on too tight. This is definitely not good. From what you’ve posted it sounds more likely that it’s the pump unless maybe some of the cartridges in that lot got squished somehow.

3

i haven’t had it happen, but if it were me, i’d fill some cartridges in advance and store them upright and then check them before using them for any signs of leaks.

4

Good suggestion!

5

I have had 3 cartridges that have leaked out of a single lot. But I have not had the problem of being high. I actually was right on the money all three times. I called in for the first one and since I was not high they gave me 2 cartridges and had me send in the offending cartridge. I am losing a lot of insulin out of the cartridge and can not understand why I am not in the 300’s or higher. The first one I had about 30 units at the bottom of the cartridge space. It is scary, but I have been having issues trying to keep control for several months. I can’t say that any of my issues are related.

6

I found out that I didn’t have the inset tight enough. Documentation states and extra 1/4 turn and that was my problem. I also found out you don’t pump the empty cartridge before filling. My old Cozmo you had to do it to lube the cartridge. That causes it ti leak as well. I haven’t had any leaks for a couple of weeks now. I’ve only had a ping since December.

7

I have my pump training tomorrow because I am switching to the Ping. I watched the video today for the Ping and it does state to pump the reservoir a couple of times to lube the cartridge prior to filling it.

8

Next time this happens, do the food coloring test with the defective cartridge. Do what Marti W suggests and at the same time add a little food coloring to the problem cartridge. See where it leaks.

9

you dont have to pump the empty cartridge for the Ping pumps before filling them? When we got my son on the pump, and had to go to class for that, they told us to pump the empty cartridge 2-3 times before filling it to lube up the cartridge. It also states that in the pamphlets we receive in each cartridge box. I am however finding that Im having difficulties with air bubbles STILL (been on the pump for a year exactly now!), and have often wondered if it may be due to pumping the empty cartridge. I can get no air bubbles in the cartridge after i fill it up and twist the inset on (and i put the inset on a little tighter than the book states, as per instructions from the PING rep I spoke with), but 2 days later when we change the site, we are consistantly seeing air bubbles in the cartridge, and sometimes the tubing, and cant figure out why when there wasnt any in there before.

10

I was having air bubble problems and called support. They reminded me that after you draw down the first 1/2 (or so) portion of the insulin into the cartridge to inject that insulin all the way back into the vial because the space in the needle causes that rather large bubble at the top of the cartridge. Then draw down again and fill the cartridge. Somewhere from training into about the 8th month I had started to forget that step.

11

I just had this happen… The first time, I think it must have shorted-out the pump or something. It made a ‘fire alarm’ kind of sound with nothing on the display. I was able to push buttons and wake-up the pump, but a few minutes later it did it again.

The noise and the fact that the pump “alarm log” did not show anything about what was going on freaked me out! I called the tech support number and they overnighted a new pump to replace this one.

The day before this malfunction, I was outside for 5 hours shoveling and moving snow (roof). Is it possible that five hours exposed to cold temperatures assisted in making the thing leak?

More recently (5-6 days ago), this happened for the second time (in the new pump). This time, much less insulin had leaked. We were getting hit with snow storms every 3-5 days, so it is possible that the pump got cold again. It was on my belt, under a very warm coat. So, not sure how cold it could have been…

Now when I take out empty cartridges, I stand them up and give them a tap on something to see if any insulin comes out of the plunger side of the cartridge.

I will have to call them and let them know it happened again… on their replacement pump!

12

A followup to my post… I just got the following email from Animas!

URGENT: INSULIN PUMP 2.0 mL CARTRIDGE RECALL

February 22, 2011

Important Information about your 2.0 mL Animas Insulin Pump Cartridges

Dear Animas Pumper:

Animas Corporation is dedicated to supporting pumpers with quality customer service and products. As part of that commitment, we contact our pumpers whenever we have urgent information about our products.

We are sending you this email because we have learned that some of the 2.0 mL insulin cartridges shipped between Nov. 30, 2010 and Jan. 4, 2011 can leak insulin, resulting in the delivery of less insulin than intended. In addition, if the cartridge has a leak, the pump may not alarm if there is an occlusion in your infusion set.

Please note that under-delivery of insulin can cause high blood sugar and/or diabetic ketoacidosis. These are serious conditions that can cause severe health impact, including death.

Our records show that you have received a shipment with cartridges that have the potential to leak. It is important that you check your cartridge supply and stop using those cartridges immediately.

Cartridge lot numbers affected by this recall are:
B201575
B201576
B201581
B201582
B201583

You can find the lot number on the side panel of the cartridge box and on the packaging of each individual cartridge next to the symbol
Lot

What if I am currently using a cartridge with one of these lot numbers in my pump? Change your cartridge immediately using the following instructions. See your Owners Booklet or User Guide for more detailed instructions.

  1. Disconnect the infusion set from your body.
  2. Unscrew the cartridge cap, leaving the tubing connected to the cartridge.
  3. With the tubing connected to the cartridge, pull the cartridge straight out of your pump.
  4. Disconnect tubing from cartridge, set the cartridge aside to return to Animas.
  5. Fill a new cartridge from an unaffected lot not listed above, and attach infusion set tubing.
  6. Rewind, load the cartridge and prime.
  7. Connect tubing to site once prime is complete.

What should I do if we have unused cartridges from the lots listed above? Set them aside for return to Animas. We will be sending instructions and materials to return these cartridges.

What if I don’t have any other cartridges? Go to your back up plan for insulin delivery and call your healthcare professional if you have any questions about insulin dosing. We are in the process of notifying your Health Care Providers, but you may have received notice before we reached your doctor.

How do we get replacement cartridges? We plan to be shipping replacement cartridges free of charge no later than Friday February 25. You do not need to call Animas to order these replacements.

Is there anything wrong with my pump? No, there is not a problem with the pump. Any leaking of the insulin from the cartridge will not damage your pump.

Should I adjust my basal or bolus rates to correct the under-delivery of insulin? No. If you have an affected cartridge, stop using it immediately and replace it with another cartridge that is not affected, or go to your back up plan. Also, if you have any questions about adjusting your insulin dosing, contact your health care professional.

What if I have other questions?
If you have technical questions or concerns, please call Animas Customer Support at 1-855-254-5668 or you can call the toll-free number on the back of your pump at 1-877-937-7867.

Again, Animas is dedicated to providing our pumpers with quality customer service and products. We know that you had a choice when choosing the pump that would work best for your lifestyle and we appreciate that you trusted us. We assure you that we are doing everything we can to address this issue quickly to avoid any further concerns.

Sincerely,

Animas Corporation

Note: In an attempt to make sure that we reach you, you may get more than one notice from Animas about this issue.

Animas Corporation, 200 Lawrence Dr., West Chester, PA 19380

13

If you look closely at the connection between cartrige and tube there is always a little bubble of air that remains. I believe that this is bypassed during priming and therefore remains suspect. When I change my sons pump I have been forcing that bubble by hand before inserting cartridge into the pump. I’ve tried to talk with animas but noone seems to care/understand my concerns…

14

Four boxes left of the recalled cartridges, one hospitalization and weeks of highs/sleepless nights. I hope this was the problem, although I honestly never noticed any insulin in the pump. My wife was complaining the pump must be defective because the last two months all efforts to control numbers seemed futile. Animas has been very good on customer care I hope this is an isolated problem.

15

I just got the cartridge recall e-mail also. Animas had already sent me a new box of cartridges that I am currently using, and they appear to be working correctly/not leaking. I agree Animas is great on customer care. This was a scary situation, though!! I hope it doesn’t happen again!