ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: The most common non-metabolic complication of insulin pump therapy is set occlusion, and the literature on factors associated with occlusion is limited. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing set occlusion.

Methods: A total of 52 patients with type 1 diabetes using insulin pumps were included in the study. A 36-item questionnaire related to set occlusion was administered to the healthcare personnel responsible for set changes.

Results: 76.9% of the patients (n: 40) were female. The mean age was 13.6±4.4 years, duration of diabetes was 6.99±3.4 years, and duration of pump use was 3.4±2.9 years. The most frequently used set insertion sites were the abdomen (55.8%), followed by the thigh (23.1%), arm (15.4%), and buttock (5.8%), with the most common reason being ease of use. The least used sites were the arm (30.8%), abdomen (23.1%), thigh, and buttock (13.5%), with fear of pain being the most common reason. Set changes occurred on average every 3 days, with an average maximum delay of 17.7 hours, and a delay in change was noted in approximately every 7 sets. On average, occlusion occurred once every 40 set changes. The most common site of occlusion was the abdomen (55.8%), with occlusion most frequently occurring on the first day (46.2%). No significant relationship was found between occlusion and gender, set material, person changing the set, duration of set change, and VKS SDS (P >0.05). There was no significant relationship between delaying set changes and occlusion (P = 0.63). When patients were divided into two groups based on equal and unequal use of set sites, there was no difference in the frequency of occlusion between the two groups. The abdomen was the most common area of occlusion for both those with frequent and rare occlusion (33.3% and 22.9%, respectively).

Conclusion: This study, for the first time in the literature, found that occlusion is more common in the abdomen, that irregular changing of the insertion site does not affect occlusion, that occlusion is not related to delayed set changes, and contrary to expectation, occlusion often occurs on the first day after insertion. However, the lack of a significant relationship between delaying set changes and occlusion may be due to only 3.8% of our patients delaying set changes. Additionally, consistent with the literature, our study did not find a relationship between set material and occlusion.

Keywords: Insulin pump, Set occlusion