Medtronic pumps

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

i have the animas vibe and of course y’all know they are going out of business. i cant get the tandem pump
like i wanted to because of my warranty which expires in 2019. i wanted to go with tandem as it has the dexcom cgm.
my option is to stay with my animas pump but there is no guarentees that it can be fixed if it breaks, etc. so i worry
about that. i know that medtronics pumps has an offer for those that uses animas. so i wanted to get the good
and the bad from those that uses the pumps. and a few questions.

  1. well, the good and the bad?
  2. does one of them do the remote meter that you can do the bolus from instead of taking out the pump?
  3. what do you think of the cgm? the bad as well.
  4. customer service, god bad?

i think that is what i have right now. i am sure that more will pop up as responses comes in

2

I too am considering switching from my Vibe, and have a few questions about the 630G.

  1. How many times a day do you have calibrate the CGM?
  2. If doing a BG correction bolus can you enter your BS directly (assuming I may still use the DexG5), or do you have to use the included meter?
  3. If you are doing a correction and extended meal bolus is the correction bolus given right away, or is it incorporated into the extended bolus?

Thanks,
Mike

3

while reading the info on the website you only need to calibrate once a day but they suggested for optimal service of it to do it a few times day. first time you use a sensor 6 hours after the first then the 12 hours afterwards. but i could be wrong. as far as the second question im not sure. i think there is a way to do the correction through the pump. i havent figured that out from the manual i read, etc. its nice they have the manuals online…its for the 630g but it gives you the idea of what the 670g may be like. they both seem similar but the 670g has the loop thingy whatever that means. i havent found any answers that gives me the explanation. with the third question i am curious myself. maybe someone else may know the answers to our questions?

4

Ok. I’m on my third Medtronic pump, so 13 years. Pump has been great. I have had to send two back for breakage where the insulin cartridge screws in. I do keep the pumps out of warranty and that has been such a good thing.

HATED the Enlite sensor. Stopped using it, but needed sensor data, so I went to a Dexcom, which I thoroughly prefer.

You must calibrate enlite 2X each day. If you miss a calibration alert, it stops reading BGs.

Am not aware of any Medtronic product that will allow phone fuselage.

Pump is good. Customer service has been reliable and friendly.

If your pump is going out of business, have you really discussed this with health insurance folks? Seems like there should be some warranty loophole.

5

thanks for your info. so maybe i may try the cgm on the pump and see what i think and if i hate it go back to the dexcom. ive been with animas since 2010 and had to get two new pumps. after looking at the info on their website on how to insert the sensor it looks confusing unlike the dexcom its a manual and its only in one step. it looks like there isnt an app for the phone like the tandem but they use the G5 so that is why. at least the customer service is reliable and friendly that is important. i get agitated too easily. animas is going out of business and they suggest to go with medtronic hence why i am inquiring about it :). my warrenty ends in 2019 and from what the letter from animas says is the medtronic will be with the rest of your warranty without extending it. so much to think about

6

Like Dexcom so much.

1 Like
7

The Medtronic rep has told me that I can get and use the 670 on manual mode while using Dexcom. I want to continue with the Dexcom until the 670 sensors are actually as good as the Dexcom. The rep also told me that I need a letter from my doctor because I will be using it ‘off label’ or some such thing.

Last summer I used a Medtronic 530 for a few weeks. I wanted to try Medtronic to see how I liked it as my Animas was going out of warranty. After three months of discussion with CDE, research and Medtronic experiment, decided to stay with Animas. Called to start process for new pump, only to be told that is is being discontinued. Sad

8

it is sad that they are going out of business. its the only pump ive known so moving on to a different one is scary for me. plus animas has only came out with three pumps total. the 2020, ping and the vibe. where i am sure other companies has come out with more than that.

9

I use the Minimed 530g system. The CGM is OK only because there is about a 10 min delay in sugar readings, otherwise it would be fine. I was contemplating switching to Medtronic’s 670g system until I read about Beta Bionic’s iLet (bionic pancreas). The iLet is about a year or so away from being approved but when it does, that’s my next pump cause you only have to input your body weight to start it.

10

Good: Medtronic has been around and should be a player in the insulin pump business for years to come. Unlike the makers of the Dtron, Cozmo, and now Animas.
They do replace bad sensors and have someone on duty to call about pump and CGM issues.
Medtronic has always shipped supplies reliably and that’s critical!
The new Guardian 3 sensors are very, very accurate.

Bad: The newest CGM sensors are a bit finicky about calibrations.
Long wait times on calls about orders or shipments.
Proprietary infusion sets and cartridges so you can’t use luer lock infusion sets.
Newest transmitter and sensors are on backorder. Current pump users are the priority.