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The Other iPort

Let me start by saying that unlike Apple’s wall-mounted docking station for the iPod, this product is not for everyone. The other iPort stands for injection port, a little extended-wear doohickey that attaches to your skin for easy injecting, without the need for repeated skin punctures. If you’re already a happy insulin pumper, take a pass. If, however, you’re newly diagnosed, just getting used to injections, or want a “vacation” from your pump, this may be the gizmo for you.

Launched about 4 months ago, Patton Medical’s iPort is essentially like a stand-alone pump infusion set, inserted via cannula. It can accommodate up to 75 injections in the 72-hour wear time. It’s waterproof for bathing, swimming, and exercising.

The iPort is FDA approved for use with all kinds of insulin, Byetta, Symlin, growth hormones, fertility drugs and other injectables. It’s already covered by over 100 health plans, including 20-25 Blue Cross groups, several state Medicads, and the military TriCare plan.

Why the quick mass adoption, you ask? The company says it’s a no-brainer: if this simple tool can help lots of patients be more “compliant,” it’s a win-win-win situation for physicians, medical plans, and patients alike.

“If you’re complaint and pro-active, it’s not an issue, but 2/3 of people on insulin are not in good control… They might be taking 3 shots of rapid-acting insulin and Lantus every day, but it’s that corrective post-prandial dose they’re not doing, because they don’t want to stick themselves anymore,” says Patton COO Rick Wittenbraker.

The iPort is handy for any kind of injections, but it’s worth noting that company was actually founded by a woman in her late ’20s diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes while pregnant with her first child. “KK” Patton was a horse trainer and pro rider in Texas, who happened to be married to a patent attorney. Long story short, she hated both injections and wearing a pump, and believed there had to be a better way. She developed a prototype with the help of some colleagues, and founded a company to sell the idea.

Chalk one up for diabetic ingenuity.

With coverage, iPort supplies cost an average of $25 month. So there’s additional overhead, but also an added benefit, Wittenbraker says. “We have so many parents who are excited to have this for their diabetic children. And we have a ton of pump users now using iPort for their Symlin. They don’t want to go back on shots.”

Explore posts in the same categories: Diabetes Product Parade

Monday, June 18th, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (14)

Comments

This is a dumb idea that offers no clinical benefit over regular, subcutaneous injection. Unlike Disetronic Medical Systems’ DiaPort, which offers long-term intraperitoneal insulin administration, thus eliminating delays caused by subcutaneous delivery of insulin, and shortening the time-activity profile of regular human insulin to something akin to an analog. Details can be seen at http://www.disetronic.com/files/63.asp?menuId=63&languageId=2&productId=42 .
Posted by: Scott | June 18th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Before I was a pump wearing diabetic I would have used this in a heart beat!! Can’t really understand why it is a “dumb idea” especially if you are giving yourself 6-8 shots a day or you are a child and scared of needles!!! Me personally “I love having needle marks all over my body….OK so I am lying!!! Some people are just to smart for their own good!!
Posted by: Dave | June 18th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Scott, I almost vomited when I went to the link you sent… The iPort seems like a great idea compared to implanting that metal thing in my stomach. not to mention that nice scar the patient will surely have. I also think it’s a great idea for kids who just aren’t ready for the pump yet, but find that injections just plain stink (because, well they do stink!).

Amy, I had seen the iPort a couple of months ago, but didn’t think that it really applied to me. I also am considering Symlin–you made the connection for me! Thanks.
Posted by: Mel | June 18th, 2007 at 7:35 am
The Diaport has a LONG list of problems not to mention scar tissue (under the skin), marks where the port is on top of the skin, it is VERY prone to insulin crystalization meaning it’s not very accurate, and it has to be SURGICALLY moved every few years. So where’s the benefit?

If you think the diaport is anything good read the following…

http://www.insulin-pumpers.org.uk/diaport/

Not only does the site and scar look ugly, the user said she had to continually up her basal rate in a year of using it. Not to mention, you can’t use any of the “log” insulins (Novolog, Apidra, Humalog) as they are guaranteed to crystalize.

I have actually considered at times giving up pumping and going with the Iport. I love the pump, but the main reason I’m on it now is because of numerous injections and the basal rate profiles I can get.
Posted by: Kevin D. | June 18th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Diabetes Mine: The Other iPort

I’ve actually TRIED the iPort — and still have a partial box. I’ll save them in caseI have surgery again but they aren’t worth the hassle. You’ll find more about them if you check my archives. The other iPort stands…
Posted by: Living With Diabetes | June 18th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Diabetes Mine: The Other iPort

I’ve actually TRIED the iPort — and still have a partial box. I’ll save them in case I have surgery again but they aren’t worth the hassle. You’ll find more about them if you check my archives. The other iPort stands…
Posted by: Trusted.MD Network | June 18th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Actually, I read all the insulin-pumpers postings, and its worth mentioning that DiaPort is still in trials, and the trials are supposed to reveal those issues. However, as to the comments on analogs, the entire point is that the time-activity profile of regular insulin delivered directly into the bloodstream is minutes vs. hours for subcutaneous delivery, so there would be no need for any insulin analog under those circumstances. We should not forget that in humans without diabetes have only regular insulin circulating in the bloodstream anyway - regular.

As for the iPort, I was involved in some early research on this concept a number of months ago, and I still think the idea is dumb, having no clinical benefit to justify paying for it. I suppose if someone would avoid insulin because of fear of needles, then perhaps it serves a limited purpose, but I don’t consider having to access a port placed someplace on the abdomen to make things any more convenient. There is also some evidence that subcutaneous tissue damage can occur from infusion sets or items like the iPort. The concept is a dog!
Posted by: Scott | June 18th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Subcutaneous tissue damage can’t be any worse for your body than being diabetic. I guess Scott that is why you are a former pumper and not still currently pumping. If I gave myself 6 shots a day for the next 50 years that would be 109,500 shots. That certainly is not better than the 7,200 infusion sets that I would use for the same amount of time. I respect your right to have your own opinion even though I totally disagree with it!!
Posted by: Dave | June 18th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I took off my second I-PORT yesterday.
They need infusion sets, and I wasn’t so thrilled about the bruising.
I dunno, I’m not sure if I’ll order refills but I will be using up the box.
Posted by: Jonah | June 18th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Using the right size short, very thin needle and injecting with the proper technique makes my shots painless. I do 3 a day and would never want to use something like this iport.

I think this device just feeds on the initial fear of the newly diagnosed. It took me maybe 2 days to get over my fears of injection, then that was that. What a relief!

This device looks MORE painful than a shot, and it keeps up the idea in the person’s mind that injecting is difficult.
Posted by: Jenny | June 18th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Jenny, it’s tons less painful. When I was on shots I would hit a bad spot 10% of the time. In 3 days that would be at least once that I would be left with a big red/blue/purple spot on my arm or leg. I also would hit muscle quite often in the arms and legs. With pumping, I only have the problem maybe once every 6 months where I hit a bad spot. That is ALOT less and ALOT less noticable.

Scott…if tissue damage can occur then how is pumping any better? ALOT more tissue damage can occur with the diaport. Oh wait, you’re a former pumper? I know people that have been pumping for 10 years now and have NO signs of any tissue damage and are still using the same basal rates and other factors as they were 10 years ago with just minor fine tuning as jobs/activities change.

I think the Iport is a great item. I don’t think it gives anyone a bad image of injections or feeds any fears. Heck, most doctors already do that with starting new patients on Mixed insulins which is totally stupid. I’d rather see people start mixing their own and have an iport than using a pre-mixed. If I went back to injections I for one would use something like the iport.
Posted by: Kevin D. | June 19th, 2007 at 4:20 am
I was invited to a focus group for this device, and pracitcally laughed my infusion set off my skin when I was presented with suggestions for names for the now baptized “iport” Sorry guys when they asked me I called OrificeDepot. If I am going to have orifices in my skin over tenkoff for kidney dialysis in otherwise uncontrolled diabetes I’ll take the diaport. This goes to the newly-diagnosed-needle -scared crowd who are probably unworthy of calling themselves a dignified diabetic.
Posted by: maria | June 23rd, 2007 at 10:23 am
Hi Amy,

I was in the clinical trial for the I-Port last year. I found inserting the cannula to be very painful and was more aware of that acute once-in-3-days pain than I ever was about the minor, frequent prick of injections. I also found insulin delivery to be less reliable and consistent.

In summary I felt that the IPort had the disadvantages of infusion sets, but without the control benefits of pumping. I’ll stick with injections until starting a pump.

KD
Posted by: KD | June 26th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Amy

I-Port is not a new idea: Insuflon has been around for a long time and my child is using it with success. For a child Insuflon or I-Port is great: you do not have to poke him/her everytime he/she wants to eat a snack, and compared with a pump you have no tubing, and the site last longer. The downside: you still have to draw insulin yourself, you still need a Lantus shot. Omnipod probably has the better of both world, though much bigger, for a child at least.
Posted by: ivan | June 27th, 2007 at 5:23 am