The only theory I’ve come up with is certain sites cause the cannula to bend and impede the flow of insulin. ??? Maybe sometimes the tip hits a layer of muscle and the resulting bend gradually unkinks during the following hours of insulin delivery after a pod insertion.??? I could almost understand it better if a new pod occasionally occludes and never works but its weird that people can often get the occlusion sorted out after 3-6 hours of insulin delivery (!?).
I wonder if Insulet could design a pod using a steel cannula that might help with this common problem. They could keep producing the current teflon cannula design and offer the steel one as an option.
In my experience, occlusions are caused more by blood backing up into the cannula and clotting than by a kink in the cannula itself. I think this is affected by how close your insertion point is to a blood vessel.
I guess as insulin delivery continues during early hours after inserting a new pod that any blood would clear out.
I’m surprised by how shallow the cannula sits in skin, just 6.5mm deep, and I’m trying to assess why and how likely I would experience occlusions. Some people get so many they give up on podding. My understanding is you want the cannula to reside in fat which is why you pinch the skin when inserting in low fat areas like the arms (?). I read varied reports about how well pods work and where they work on the body and I wish Insulet would address the issue across the board and maybe even redesign the pod somehow to work better. Right now they appear to be addressing occlusions via a person to person basis without really admitting a widespread issue. I think I read somewhere that infusion sites for tubed pumps can be more reliable using steel cannulas and a 90 degree angle, so I wonder if Insulet should try that.
My experience is location. If I hit a blood vessel or if I put it on the wrong spot on my back, it will occlude. Otherwise, most of time, I’m fine.
Not sure that steel would be that great, although I’d be willing to be proven wrong if Insulet did come out with it and sent out a few samples.
my occlusion alarms usually come 10-20 hours after the pod starts. but I wouldn’t really want a steel cannula I don’t think. Mine have never had blood, bent tube, leaking, or any of the other things they ask you about either. They are starting to really annoy me though.
10-20 hours later? maybe your body isn’t absorbing the insulin as it comes out and that you might get same issue with a tubed pump?
I’m amazed at # of podders who accept that their sugars might go out of whack every 3 days when inserting new pods. I love the tubeless design but not enough to experience unreliable insulin delivery on a regular basis.
My absorption is always fine until that fateful bolus when it occludes. (even then I always seem to have absorbed everything it says it delivered). I just switch pods, finish the bolus, and call Insulet for a replacement. It’s just a pain to be replacing pods sometimes 3 or 4 days in a row. – NOTE: I love my Omnipod and have never had a problem getting replacements for the Pods that fail and would NOT go back to shots or try a tubed pump. I do have very real occlusion problems (been on it for almost 3 months now and have had 8 occlusions) but they’re handled fine and my control has NOT suffered.
