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Medtronic extend ware infusion sets only last 4 days

J

Janii

Newbie
Messages
1
Location
FAIRFAX VA
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Have been using Medtronic extend ware infusion sets for about 6 months and have never been able to get more than 3.5 to 4 days of use out of them. The evening of day 3.5 my glucose spikes to over 300 even after taking a correction bolus every hour. Even try taking more boluses in the morning with no improvement. Only after manually injecting Humilog am I able to bring it down. Will be running out of sets before my insurance covers the next batch. Not sure what to do.
 
Not a medtronic user so probably shouldn't comment but if my tandem cannulae weren't lasting as long as they should I'd be contacting customer support for extra sets???
 
And I forgot to say, welcome to the forums @Janii
 
I don’t use the extended sets as I worry they won’t last the 7 days and will have absorption issues especially with how my TDD is 50 units give or take. I’ve seen a lot of discussion online about how the reservoirs for the 3 day and 7 day are exactly the same which begs the question of how it is going to keep your insulin good before the 7 days are up… just a thought. If you’re not getting 7 days out of the 7 day wear ones I think I’d have to consider switching back to the 3 day ones or contacting support to get extras but then they may not always give extras if it’s a constant ask as it won’t be worth it.
 
I’ve been using the extended sets for just over a year and I personally find them really good.

From what I’ve learnt the sets may look similar to the 3 day version, but they aren’t the same.
I believe Medtronic is reluctant to give details as it’s commercially sensitive.

I’ve rarely had a problem with the sets lasting the full 7 days, but I do need to top up the reservoir after 3/4 days (a very quick procedure) as I use more Insulin.

From my experience it’s very important to choose good cannula sites. If you use a repeated site (Atrophy?) then the extended sets will soon fail.

However, there is a sense of fulfilment. After a while of using them I’ve noticed my abdomen is more receptive, probably due to the extended sets being less invasive in their frequency.
 
Fortunately that’s where FDA filings come into use. As they are public you can actually find their filing on the Resevoirs. Ignoring all of the lengthy text, page 7 has a comparison table on the 3 day vs 7 day and besides the length of time use there’s no difference!

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh...2kEX0GffZGr-ynv4I4_aem_X2rWI588dcEEo_7ViCwy7A
 

Thanks for bringing this to my attention and it’s certainly a revelation to me.

This now appears to go beyond this forum - questions need to answered…..
 
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