Roche Diabetes Care highlights infusion-site management with awareness week

INDIANAPOLIS One of the many challenges for people with Type 1 diabetes is management of the infusion site, the place where a needle or plastic tube is inserted under the skin for administering insulin.

Management of the infusion site involves choosing, cleaning and preparing it and then properly inserting the tube or needle, monitoring insulin flow and rotating infusion sites every one to three days to avoid infection. To promote good infusion site management, Roche Diabetes Care has started National Infusion Site Awareness Week, which takes place between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, announced at the 37th annual conference of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

According to a 2007 study in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care, some adult patients experience irritation or infection up to 12 times a year because of poor infusion-site management.

“Roche Diabetes Care is sponsoring the first National Infusion Site Awareness Week to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by users of insulin infusion pumps,” Roche Diabetes Care North America SVP and general manager Luc Vierstraete said. “Proper infusion site management ensures better blood glucose management, as well as fewer complications.”