5 Important care when applying insulin

Whoever has diabetes and depends on the application of insulin to control the disease knows that treatment can not be neglected, as carelessness can lead to major health complications in the future.

Understand the care that must be taken for a correct and comfortable application, ensuring good results in your diabetes treatment.

Needle size care

Insulin should be applied to the subcutaneous tissue, ie just below the skin , using long needles increases the chance of insulin being applied to the muscle by up to 45%.

For this reason, the Brazilian Society of Diabetes recommends the use of short needles, even in obese patients. It is important to overturn the myth that being overweight requires the use of larger needles. The thickness of the skin does not exceed 3 mm in all the profiles of people, regardless of the physical profile (BMI), sex, age or any other factor.

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Smaller needles bring more security, risk of an application in the muscle. BD, the world's leading technology in the treatment of diabetes with injectables, has the BD Ultra-Thin Pencil Needle, Fine Nano PentaPoint 4 mm. The PentaPoint technology has 5 cut-offs (cuts) on the needle tip, unlike other needles that have 3 stonework, which makes it thinner and smoother and more comfortable.

If necessary, do the subcutaneous

I need careful attention when applying with longer needles because there is a risk of insulin reaching the muscle if the subcutaneous fold is not performed. It is recommended to make the fold (which is like a slight "pinch" holding a thumb on the skin with the thumb and forefinger to thereby pinch the skin) in applications with needles with lengths of 6 mm or larger. Insulin applied to the muscle is absorbed rapidly and can cause hypoglycemia.

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Short needles, such as the BD Ultra-Fin Nano PentaPoin 4 mm, however, facilitate the application technique, as there is no need for subcutaneous folding. The short needles are safer and the risk of reaching the muscle is less than 1%.

Do not reuse the needle

Remember that the insulin needle is for single use only. Reusing it increases the risk of infections and the development of lipohypertrophy. Lipohypertrophy is a change in the subcutaneous tissue in the regions most used for insulin application, identified through stiffening of the site and formation of lumps. The absorption of insulin injected into the site compromised with lipohypertrophy is unpredictable, and may cause glycemic variability, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

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To prevent this complication, do not reuse insulin needles and syringes and rotate the stitches

Take care of the hygiene

The application site should be clean, especially if the medicine is applied in a hospital environment or in nursing homes, for example. It is important to be careful about the increased risk of getting some infection in these places. Hygiene is easy to do: just wipe the area with 70% alcohol and wait for it to dry before injecting the insulin.

Do not clean the hands and then the application site, it is essential to avoid problems. always apply in the same place

Rotating the sites and application points is important to avoid complications such as lipohypertrophy. The recommended regions for insulin application are: arms, thighs, buttocks and abdomen. To make the rod, choose the region, divide it into small parts with a distance of 2 fingers, thus forming several points for application. You should change the stitch to each application and only return at this point after 14 days, time needed for stitch healing.

Rotating the sites and using a 4 mm needle, such as BD Ultra-Fine Nano PentaPoint 4 mm, increases the safety and adherence of the treatment, contributing to a better glycemic control.

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