The Super Bolus
I've mentioned the super bolus before on this blog. This is a technique that only works for people who are using an insulin pump.According to John Walsh's original note about the super bolus:
A Super Bolus is created when some of the basal insulin delivery is stopped or partially reduced, and delivered instead as additional bolus insulin on top of a normal carb or correction bolus. This shift of basal to bolus insulin creates a larger bolus that can have more impact in situations where more insulin is needed quickly. These situations may include but are not limited to covering high glycemic index foods, larger intakes of carbohydrate, and speeding the return of an elevated blood sugar to normal.The super bolus boosts the effectiveness of a regular bolus by taking some of your basal insulin and delivering it early. For example, if your basal rate is 0.7 units per hour, you can temporarily turn off the basal delivery for one hour and then take the 0.7 units immediately. The trick is how you take that insulin. If you took it as a bolus then it would affect your insulin on board totals, so instead you take it by using the prime features that you'd normally use to fill the cannula after inserting a new infusion set.
I shot three short videos that show how to do a super bolus on different insulin pumps. This gives you a chance to compare these pumps in action and see how to use this useful technique which helps correct high blood sugars a little faster.
Here's how to take a super bolus with a Minimed 512 insulin pump.
Here's how to do it with an Animas 2020 insulin pump.
And here's how to do it on a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump.
Labels: Animas, Cozmo, diabetes, insulin pump, Minimed, superbolus, technique
posted by Bernard @ 10:10 PM
8 Comments:
Does the IOB just calculate insulin from boluses? (Animas)
Anne- that's one reason why you deliver the basal component as a prime- so that it will only count the bolus portion.
I have used the super bolus to correct high BGL's - I had a tendency of coming down too quickly and going low - but the super bolus seems to help avoid this. I still come down quickly but the reduction of the basal over the hour after the bolus seems to even out....
Bernard and Drea- when you do this, do you give the "super" portion of he bolus in addition to the bolus you would normally give for the high?
Wow, Bernard, and I thought I spent way too much time fiddling with diabetes devices.
;) AmyT
I've been hearing about this. It interests me. I'll have to try it sometime. Thanks for posting the videos.
Bernard, This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing the videos, too. That helped with understanding it a little better. Plus, I finally got to hear that great Irish accent of yours!
I've used John's Super Bolus a few times with very promising results.
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