An insulin pump is a medical device that delivers insulin to treat diabetes mellitus through continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, using a reservoir of insulin connected through tubing and a cannula inserted under the skin, as an alternative to multiple daily injections. The Biostator, created in 1976, was the first insulin pump to reach commercial use, and between 1978 and 1988 the researcher Robert Channon, working with Guy's Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary, developed a series of progressively more miniaturized insulin infusion pumps. Modern insulin pumps are typically used together with blood glucose monitoring and carbohydrate counting to give people with diabetes more flexible control over their insulin therapy than fixed daily injections allow.
Facts
SignificanceThe Biostator, the first commercialized insulin pump in 1976, was a 60 kilogram bedside device that also doubled as the first continuous glucose monitor, decades before miniaturization let insulin pumps fit in a pocket or purse. 1 FAQs
How big was the first commercial insulin pump?
It weighed 60 kilograms and sat at the bedside.
The Biostator, created in 1976 as the first commercialized insulin pump, was a 60 kilogram bedside device. It could also monitor blood glucose levels, so it doubled as the first continuous glucose monitor.
Connections
In Field
Source Insulin Pump (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Invented By
Source National Inventors Hall of Fame: Dean Kamen (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
Sources
1. Insulin Pump (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Biostator paragraph
In 1976, the first commercialized insulin pump was created and was named the Biostator.
History section, Biostator size and monitoring sentence
The pump was a 60 kg bedside device. It also had the capability of monitoring blood glucose levels, so this also doubles as the first continuous glucose monitor.
- In Group: Implantable Medical Devices, lead paragraph: medical device used for insulin delivery, worn or implanted
In Field: Biomedical Engineering, Categories
Implants (medicine)
View the Source National Inventors Hall of Fame: Dean Kamen (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
National Inventors Hall of FameInvented By: Dean Kamen, Inductee pageQuote, Invented By: Dean Kamen, Inductee page
The wearable device delivered precise doses of medication to diabetics and other patients with a variety of medical conditions.
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