For many diabetics, insulin pumps are somewhat of a miracle. They allow better blood sugar control and greater personal freedom. Diabetics can tailor the continuous flow of insulin into their body based on their own unique blood sugar trends. However, the pumps can also cause death in some rare instances.
Steven Krueger died at the age of 27 due to a malfunctioning insulin pump, according to his parents, who wrote a letter to the editor in Tuesday’s Windsor Star. While the pump (the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm infusion pump, model MMT-511) allowed Krueger greater freedom to accomplish many things, such as obtaining a recreational pilot’s license and a scuba diving certificate, his family was not aware of the potential dangers of the device.
Krueger’s pump malfunctioned during the night three years ago, delivering a lethal dose of insulin. The family says in its letter that the malfunction was confirmed by the coroner’s office. They also claim that at least three other similar deaths were reported in association with this pump.
The pump is a machine and machines can malfunction, they note. However, they suggest that manufacturers design the machine to fail in a “safe mode” rather than a “lethal mode.”
Our son died under the same circumstances in 2001 but a private autopsy determined a brain seizure was the likely cause of death. How did the coroner determine it was an overdose of insulin in the Krueger’s case. Am I to assume that the insulin level was still present in his system at the time of the autopsy?
Assumptions need to be avoided. What are the qualifications of the coroner (MD/medical examiner or funeral home director?) and on what basis was this decision made? How do we know what was eaten or not eaten, and what if any other complicating issues were present? Was an autopsy done and what were the factual findings? Certainly long acting insulins such as Lantus or Levemir can also cause hypoglycemia and not “shut off” as a pump can be. More facts are needed before a responsible conclusion can be made.
This is of course disturbing to anyone who uses a pump or has a loved one who uses a pump.
Go to FDA Maude http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/search.CFM and search for the various manufacturers of insulin pumps and the # of reported deaths.(MiniMed Medtronic, Animas, Insulet, Smith’s, Disetronic/Roche… Few of the hundreds are confirmed caused by the pump.
I hesitate to share this information with parents – what can they do with the information?
[...] has reported on insulin pump problems in the past (See Diabetes News Hound Aug. 26, 2009 “Death By Insulin Pump” and Diabetes News Hound Aug. 28, 2009 “More Insulin Pump Problems Reported by [...]