Flying with a pump.

[Riri]

Well the vials are always stored in fridge (spare ones) and the current one is in the shade of the apartment. No trouble with the insulin in the pump over 3 days though.

 

[bloomers2008]

Liked your email ealingr which gives good information. The only thing I would like to add is when I had an internal transfer in Spain I had a problem. I think the security staff at the internal transfer desks who did not speak good English were less aware of insulin pumps and hence it took us quite a bit longer to get through security. Make sure you have plenty of time for internal transfers.

 

[ElyDave]

They told me by e-mail that the damp atmosphere from the case could damage the pump and therefore invalidate the warranty! I asked the medtrnoic rep in person when I met her and she hadn't heard this and was going to speak to them directly and get back to me. I never heard from her, I have been to Greece a few times since then where temperatures have reached 38-40 degrees and had my pump clipped to my waistband as usual - it's not been in a frio pouch and I've had no problems.

hang on a minute, isn't the medtronic IPX8, or IPX7 rated? That's effectively total immersion for extended duration. We're talking the same protection as equipment on the decks of ships here, so a bit of damp should be neither here nor there.

 

[Riri]

Don't know. Today is not the day for me to challenge Medtronic but i will based on what you've said. Thanks

 

[Jambo Wiggy]

I emailed Medtronic about the case and this is the reply -

Medtronic have not specifically test the Frio case with the pump so we cannot guarantee it is safe to use, however I do know of customers that use this case successfully.



Kind Regards,



Mathilda Andrews| Product Support Specialist UK & Ireland | Medtronic Diabetes

 

[Riri]

Fairly non-committal and I guess, if something went wrong with it whilst using a frio, the user would be liable. Could get a bit tricky with the insurers maybe?

 

[ElyDave]

I emailed Medtronic about the case and this is the reply -

Medtronic have not specifically test the Frio case with the pump so we cannot guarantee it is safe to use, however I do know of customers that use this case successfully.



Kind Regards,



Mathilda Andrews| Product Support Specialist UK & Ireland | Medtronic Diabetes

you haven't specifically tested against every single patient's skin to make sure there's no irritation, corrosion degradation from damp sweatiness etc, but you still sell it to anyone with enough money.

That's a complete cop-out, either you stand by your IP rating or you don't.

 

[phoenix]

.

hang on a minute, isn't the medtronic IPX8, or IPX7 rated? That's effectively total immersion for extended duration. We're talking the same protection as equipment on the decks of ships here, so a bit of damp should be neither here nor there.

According to this it is IPX7 (don't know what that actually means)
Some years ago they advertised that their pumps were waterproof, however in practice, the case can develop hairline cracks which allows water in .
(when I got my pump I wanted a waterproof one but was shown a letter from the French authorities suggesting that no pump was immune to this therefore no pump should be used for swimming)

 

[ElyDave]

.
According to this it is IPX7 (don't know what that actually means)
Some years ago they advertised that their pumps were waterproof, however in practice, the case can develop hairline cracks which allows water in .
(when I got my pump I wanted a waterproof one but was shown a letter from the French authorities suggesting that no pump was immune to this therefore no pump should be used for swimming)

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/IPNumbers.htm

http://uk.ask.com/wiki/IP_Code?lang=en

IP rating system, the Cellnovo (which I'm getting) is IPX8, basically completely sealed. For the industries I work in, that effectively means I can use it in certain areas where flammable gases could be present without worrying too much.

IPX7 pretty much means waterproof for up to 30 mins, in practice it should be a lot longer.

Whan no manufacturer's have done though is give an Ex rating http://www.appmeas.co.uk/atex-intrinsic-safety-hazardous-area.html, or http://www.extronics.com/extronics/documents/ExtronicsWallchart_160708.pdf.

based on my experience I believe that Exn or m should be met by an IPX8 device.

 

[cally]

I have just come back from 2 weeks on a boat in Turkey where the temperature was between 37 and 41 degrees everyday!
The fridge on the boat was just a box with large block of ice in it so I kept my spare insulin in my frio pouch in the box as far away from the ice as possible. We also had no air conditioning.
The only problem I have with frio pouches is that they get a bit unpleasantly smelly by the end of the holiday.
Day to day on holiday I just wear pump as normal, I can't imagine wearing a frio pump case round my waist as they are very heavy when soaked!
I have found i can take pump off for swimming as long as I check blood sugar every hour or so and give missing basal by reconnecting for a few minutes. My pump (Animas) is supposed to be waterproof but I don't think I would risk it.

Also I don't bother with spare pump..I just take vial of Insulatard and and Insulin pen/ syringes in case of problems. But have never had a problem in the last 5 years of similar holidays.

 

[Abigaildemunnik]

I have never ever had the machine go off on my pump and because I live abroad I travel a lot. The few times the machine did go off, I had my phone in my pocket, but the battery in the pump is too small for the alarm to go off. I always bring a letter for all my needles and stuff, but no one has ever asked me about them. I think it depends on where you're going, just make sure you have all your paperwork, carry every thing in your hand luggage and divide it over at least 2 people.
When I just had my pump one of the staff made me put it through the x ray machine and you know what! Nothing happened. It still worked fine.