User guide

High blood glucose (hyperglycemia)
High blood glucose can occur while using the pump for the same reasons it can while using daily injections:
• too much food
• not enough insulin
• loss of insulin strength
• disruption of insulin delivery from the pump
The goal of treating hyperglycemia is to prevent Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and delay or prevent diabetes
problems due to high blood glucose over a lengthy period of time.
If for any reason you are not getting the proper amount of insulin, your blood glucose rises quickly. This can
occur with insulin pump therapy from the disruption of insulin delivery. This happens from the infusion set
coming out, clogs, or leaks, or insulin not being absorbed right.
Since the pump only delivers fast-acting insulin, hyperglycemia can occur rapidly. Your healthcare
professional will give you data needed for you to determine your correction bolus. This correction dose is
based on your insulin sensitivity.
It is vital that you know these guidelines in the hyperglycemia protocol.
Hyperglycemia protocol
If one blood glucose reading is above 13.9 mmol/L (250 mg/dL):
• Take a correction bolus right away.
• Test BG in one hour.
If the second blood glucose is above 13.9 mmol/L (250 mg/dL):
• Take an insulin injection by syringe (not through the pump). The amount should be the same as if you
were taking a correction bolus.
• Change the entire infusion set system (new reservoir, infusion set, and cannula). Consider changing the
insulin vial if you believe that the insulin is no longer stable.
• Check urine for ketones and call your healthcare professional if ketones are present.
• Drink liquid with no calories every 30 minutes (for example: 240 mL diet ginger ale, broth, water).
• Test blood glucose every two hours and keep taking correction insulin until blood glucose reaches target.
• Call your healthcare professional if your blood glucose and urine ketones remain high or you are unable
to drink.
Treating hyperglycemia from illness or infection through insulin pump therapy will be discussed on the
following pages.
Introduction to pump therapy16