air bubbles in insulin....

[jonesy]

i have noticed air bubbles in my son's insulin.

is this normal, and is it anything to worry about?

jonesy

 

[fergus]

Hi jonesy,

Best to get rid of the air bubbles as they can cause your insulin pen not to deliver the full dose of insulin you dial up. To do this simply prime the pen with the needle pointing upward and gently tap the cartidge until the air pocket rises to the top. Then prime the pen and you'll notice the air bubble will disappear, although it may take a couple of tries before it does.
If you notice the pen 'dripping' insulin after a dose is delivered and the needle removed, it's likely there is too much air in the cartridge and it should be properly primed again.

All the best,

fergus

 

[jonesy]

thanks fergus....that's what i've been doing. that, or injecting with the base of the pen up in the air, so that the bubble goes away from the needle.

am i right in thinking it wouldn't harm my son seeing as it's not injected into an artery/vein??
my main concern was that it could affect the correct dosage going in, so acted on it.

jonesy

 

[fergus]

Quite right, jonesy, if you were to inject a small quantity of air as part of his dose it would do no harm since it isn't going directly into a vein.

All the best,

fergus