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Insulin Pump History

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A man sits at his kitchen table suffused with disappointment, his breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and coffee, prepared and long-since cold, sits in front of him. He stares vacantly at his hands, the left hand gripping a magnifying glass, the right one, his insulin pump. After several attempts to read the information on his insulin pump screen, he has come to the realization that his vision has finally regressed to a point that even with the help of a magnifier, he cannot. With this knowledge, he knows that he will no longer be able to administer his insulin regimen without assistance. He is a man who has always valued his ability to face adversity and to take care of problems on his own. Although he knew the time would come, he …show more content…

“1976 … The first insulin pumps were invented … 1978 Portable insulin pumps are introduced and researchers achieve normal blood glucose levels in patients using them. But, due to their large size, they are impractical at this time” (ADA). Even with all of its improvements over the years, including making it small enough to carry in a pocket or on a belt clip, the technology for talking capability is considerably new and has not as yet been merged into pump programming. The insulin pump works just as well for the visually impaired as for others. The concern though, is that it is not accessible for those that cannot read the screens of information, to control the setup and delivery of insulin. These screens give information detailing basal rate, the amount of bolus insulin the user wishes to administer, information, which reminds the user of the last bolus delivery, and other pertinent information. There is a large number of visually impaired that can make use of a talking insulin …show more content…

At an exponential rate of increase, the number of diabetics with visual impairment in 2030 will reach 6.8 million in the U.S. alone, which is an increase of 70 percent. If 20.6 percent of that number use insulin to control glucose levels that means a potential of 1.4 million visually impaired customers in the U.S. The need for the product is easy to see, considering the possible national and international sales of the item. If demand were the only consideration, this evidence might suffice; of course, there is also the issue of cost of production

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