Reducing injection pain in children and adolescents with diabetes: a review of indwelling catheters

Abstract

Most children and adolescents find the pain when injecting insulin quite minimal but still significantly more painful than a placebo injection. However, injection pain and needle phobia are major problems for a small number of patients, even after many years of diabetes. Needle diameter is of less importance for the experienced pain. The use of indwelling catheters (Insuflon, Unomedical, Lynge, Denmark) for introducing insulin injections at the onset of diabetes results in an evident relief of preinjection anxiety, injection problems, and the procedural pain of repeated injections. The average indwelling time is 3-5 d. Fixation problems and local redness at the insertion site are the most frequent side effects. However, the frequency is low and they can be dealt with effectively. Needles of 8-10 mm should be used for injecting to avoid penetration of the tubing of the catheter. Using indwelling catheters for up to 4-5 d does not affect the absorption of insulin, when the catheter is inserted in an area free from lipohypertrophies. The long-term (measured by hemoglobin A1c) and short-term metabolic control (measured by blood glucose profiles and serum-free insulin) is not altered. Using this type of injection aid may decrease the risk of future injection problems, such as needle phobia, in very select patients. In conclusion, indwelling catheters can safely be used from the onset of diabetes to lessen injection pain in children and adolescents, and may facilitate the use of intensive insulin therapy in this age group.