The Diabetological Unit of the Pediatrics Service of the Santa Lucía Hospital has begun to teach classes to teach children with diabetes to manage their treatments and improve their quality of life and that of their relatives.Through courses, aimed at children up to 16 years, they are shown how to use insulin pumps (a portable device that controls blood glucose 24 hours a day).
Thus, those affected can self -manage their treatments and change the doses of the medication depending on the activity it performs, as during excursions or extracurricular exercises.
This system relies on 'telemedicine'.Parents can transmit through the Internet the different doses of insulin that their child needs or even consult their doubts by email.The courses are taught by the nurse and supervisor of the Hospital Pediatrics Unit, Mariví Blanco, and the pediatricians José María Donate and Daniel Calvo.
Four to six doses
Currently, in the health area of Cartagena, around a fortnight of children already use this system, called ICSI (continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion).The device manages the necessary amount through a small tube (catheter) and a cannula (called infusion equipment) that is implanted under the skin.The proportion that supplies can be adjusted according to the patient's needs.
The advantage of this technique is that it allows to vary the amount of insulin adapting to the different moments of the day, since it can be programmed for hours.
Likewise, the system also allows you to put the patient all the doses you need when you eat.In this case, you should only inform the carbohydrate machine that will ingest and the sugar level.Then the device transmits the amount of blood glucose that the child requires by 'Bluetooth' to the pump.This system is funded by the National Health System.However, it is the doctor who indicates his suitability.
This type of specific training is part of the program taught by the Diabetological Education School directed for any child who debuts in the disease Diabetes Melitus 1. In it there is complete information of all concepts related to this pathology, the disease, the types ofInsulin, forms of administration, self -control with hair glycemia and carbohydrate measurement, among others.
