My son uses the contact detach insertions sets, which we normally anchor with IV hand 3000 transparent dressings. We like this dressing because it didn’t cause so much pain to remove each time we had to change the site. We are having some major problems this summer with the pool, though. It seems like he only has to be in the water for a few minutes sometimes before the tape has completely loosened and the set has come out. This is no fun because it results in more site changes than should be necessary for him, plus we are using more sets than insurance wants to pay for! Anyone have a suggestion for a good waterproof transparent dressing to help keep insertion set in place when swimming/ showering?
Thanks!!
I have not used the infusion set you have (I use the comfort 30) and rarely have a problem with the set coming off due to swimming. The times I have noticed the tape beginning to loosen, I just use a small piece of Flexifix. I use that all the time with my dexcom sensors and only after 7 days (not recommended by Dexcom) does the Flexifix start to curl.
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Have you tried Skin Prep for preparing the site for the infusion set? It makes for better adhesion. It comes in a ‘wipe’, which I use all the time. It’s supposed to be disinfectant too, so it can be used alone to prepare and clean the skin. I live in a sub-tropical, very humid climate and I find these ideal. My sites stay ok through showers and swimming, even though sweating is a big problem for me in the summer.
There’s another product which is even better called "Skin Tac Wipe. Not sure if it’s available in the USA. This one is even stronger, so I wouldn’t use it unless your son was going swimming because it makes the site a tad more difficult to remove, but with swimming it should be easier to remove. Skin Tac Wipe is not antiseptic, as far as I know, so it would be a 2 step prep.
Mastisol is the best ive found, helps to keep my sets in during exercise when I sweat alot.I use the small bottle, tip it over, (it has a small opening) and spread it around in an oval around where the set will go. It works real well, much better than the IV preps which were practically useless.
I am currently trying out the contact detach and I like the comfort, but the tape is sad. I normally use the comfort insets that are automatic and the tape is much stronger on those. I have had the contact detach on for less than a day and the tape is already wearing off. It seems to be made of a less quality sticky than the other infusion sets. I put a band-aid over mine and it seems to be holding well, but I don’t think that would work for the pool.
Hmmm. We don’t have an option which set to use. The diabetes center where we get our support only uses this set for kids, and you must agree to use this set if getting a pump through them. The benefit to this set is that you never have to worry about bent cannulas, but the tape is pretty weak it seems.
We have been using a product called No-Sting Skin Prep. It’s a great product because it doesn’t cause burning when we insert the set. It doesn’t hold up at all at the pool, though. I think because of the set type we are using we need extra tape on top, especially when we are likely to visit the pool.
Also, we have been using uni-solve wipes to remove the adhesive when doing set changes and that works pretty well.
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks! I remember using this product before with the Dexcom, and I forgot about it. I think we might give this a try again. Thanks for the tip.
Ouch… Id be slightly annoyed if i couldn’t choose an alternate set…
For attaching a set, another option is using Skin Tac H… not as strong as mastisol (but a lot more inexpensive.), … Tend to use it in a donut before i put on the set… A bit of baby powder/Gold Bond/etc around the adhesive area will stop the extra tackiness (even with a cotton swab its not entirely neat, must use alcohol or CHG before you put on Skin Tac or Mastisol since they arent bacterostatic…
Currently I do…Hibistat…dry… paint a small square of Skin Tac H… dry… Put on a Tegaderm HP (seems to agree with my skin a bit better) then a donut of Skin tac where im going to put the infusion set. Let dry a min. then insert into that area… IV3000 actually caused my skin to peel and turn red on me and took weeks for it to heal… you can adapt this method or try out things… its a trial and error thing
When using Mastisol or Skin Tac H you will want to use an adhesive remover before pulling off the set/iv3000/tegaderm… Unisolve comes in a nice big bottle (in addition to the wipes), use a paper towel and just wet the entire area… wait a little and peel off… Detachol and Remove as well as Tac Away are other options it makes set changes a lot less painful than pulling a bandaid and youll do damage if you try to just peel mastisol… Also you dont want to get removers on any item with a plastic display… it will haze the screen.
Thanks, that is very helpful! Do you feel that the Tegaderm HP peels off in the water? Also, are you saying the Tegaderm goes on under the set?? I am a little confused. Also, what’s the donut??
Sorry- apparently I am clueless!
Thanks for your help 
Tegaderm HP goes under… its supposed to have a stronger adhesive than regular Tegaderm… donut is a ring shape, leaving a hole in the middle for the needle to go through without adhesive on that layer…
You still will probably want to cover the set with another barrier for going under water… but this will keep the set on better then with just the sets own adhesive.
Okay, I think I’ve got it now, thanks! I appreciate your help. I am going to try some of these out. Hopefully it will cut down on so many unnecessary set changes.
Thanks again!