Insulin Vial Vs Pen

1.What Is Insulin Vial?

Insulin vial- Picture Courtesy: diabetesvoice.org/en

Before defining insulin vial, it is important to know little about insulin. Insulin is a hormone used to regulate the blood sugar level in body and is commonly taken as medication by people with diabetes. Insulin vial is thus a small glass bottle which is used to store the liquid formula of insulin.

A single insulin vial has U-100 insulin which means there are 100 units of insulin in each milliliter (mL) of insulin. Insulin from vial is used with the help of syringe which is then injected into the body.

2.What Is Insulin Pen?

Insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: childrenwithdiabetes.com

Insulin pen can be defined as an instrument used to inject insulin into body through its small needle. It resembles an ink pen for the reason that it has a prefilled cartridge of insulin.

Insulin Pen comes in different types such as disposable pens and reusable pens etc. Patients of diabetes can administer insulin pen by themselves through pushing the injection button.

3.Insulin Vial Vs Pen- Explain The Benefits?

When it comes to highlight the advantages of insulin vial bs pen you will get to know about several benefits. In this question, we will be enumerating these all-significant aspects one by one:

Insulin Vial

Affordability

Affordability icon- Picture Courtesy: qarar.org

Insulin vials are less expensive as only vials and disposable syringes are used for medication delivery. It is best suitable for patients who have frequent need of insulin on regular basis.

Precision

Insulin vials are admired for their precise dosage which is 100 units of insulin each vial. It thus reduces the complexity associated with remembering and fixing dose.

Availability

Various insulin vials- Picture Courtesy: kcrw.com

Insulin vials are popularly used for so long that they are easily available in pharmacies, dispensaries and online retailers. Therefore, accessibility to insulin vials become easy.

Reliability

Most of the people around world are still preferring the use of insulin vials against insulin pens for the reason that it eliminates dependency. Instead, it can be simply used with the help of syringe which is a familiar method.

Insulin Pen

Convenient Usage

Person injecting insulin pen into shoulder- Picture Courtesy: stock.adobe.com

Insulin pens are well known for their convenient usage. Many observational studies have found that people find it easier to use insulin pens than that of relying on insulin vials. It helps them get stick to their insulin therapy routine.

Dosage Accuracy

User fixing dose in insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: stock.adobe.com

Dosage accuracy is one such fascinating fact about an insulin pen which becomes the reason for patients’ confidence in preferring insulin pen. With the help of dosage knob and window one can easily fix the dose as desired.

Comfortable Administration

Unlike insulin vial, insulin pen has reportedly small and thin needle which is good to deliver medication into subcutaneous tissue. For instance, it instantly infuses insulin into the innermost layer of skin thereby reducing the injection pain.

Easier Storage

Insulin pens have superior storage properties and are best to retain the essence of insulin even it kept out of refrigerator which is not the case with insulin vial.

Portable

User holding insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: stock.adobe.com

One can easily take insulin pens if going outside home. This portability of insulin pens makes it a great deal for patients of diabetes to maintain discipline in taking their medication.

4.Insulin Vial Vs Pen- Explain The Drawbacks?

Where insulin vial and pen come along with numerous advantages both carry potential drawbacks which are listed below:

Insulin Vial

Complexity in Usage

Person drawing insulin into injection- Picture Courtesy: stock.adobe.com

Like regular injection, it is also time taking to draw out insulin from vial through syringe against pen which only needs a press to inject. Therefore, it needs to be handled very carefully.

Risk of Errors

Injection error icon- Picture Courtesy: medium.com

Patients using insulin vials often complain about the breakage of syringe needle and dosage. It often leads to the wastage of insulin which can cause insufficient delivery of insulin.

Storage Issue

Insulin vials require cold temperature for storage otherwise they may lose the essence or get ruined. It is one of the inconveniences that comes along insulin vial which is not the case with insulin pen.

Injection Reaction

Injection reaction icon- Picture Courtesy: vectorstock.com

The use of insulin vials carries potential risk of injection reaction such as redness, pain, swelling, and infection etc.

Insulin Pen

Expensive

Expensive insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: healthline.com

Insulin pens are more expensive compared to insulin vials and syringes. In case of reusable pens, you need to refill the cartridge and replace needle each time when injecting insulin. Hence, the overall cost may get high.

Uneven Dosing

Uneven dosing of insulin vials- Picture Courtesy: iStock

Insulin pens have proclivity of needle related issues such as uneven dosing and needle stick injuries which are easily caused if the needle is not left in exact place for long enough.

Limited Insulin Types

Most of the insulin pens are used for single type of insulin only which restrict the use of mixed insulin types in pens.

5.Insulin Vial Vs Pen- Describe The Components?

Insulin vial and pen consists of different components through which insulin can be injected into body. Below you will know these parts which will help you distinguish one from another:

Components of Insulin Vial

Vial

Vial is a glass container which is the main part of insulin vial comprising following parts:

Cap:The cap of vial is made up of aluminum foil which is tightly adhered to the neck of body. The upper side of cap has a soft layer inside which needle is injected to draw insulin from vial.

Body:The body is made up of transparent glass which is resistant to bacteria and is highly hygienic to store the insulin suspension.

Syringe

Syringe is obligatory to use along with insulin vial. It consists of several components including:

Needle:It refers to the long and narrow metal or Teflon which is used to pierce the target area.

Hub:It connects needle to the barrel of syringe.

Barrel:It is a plastic cylinder used to hold liquid insulin.

Flange:It is an area used for finger support and to stop plunger.

Plunger:Plunger is a part of the syringe used to pull down the insulin by pressing.

Components of Insulin Pen

Various parts of insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: polarbearmeds.com

Pen Cap

Pen cap is made up of plastic which is located at the top side. It protects the insulin when pen is not in use.

Rubber Seal

You can find the place of rubber seal at the start of pen where the needle of pen is fitted to inject insulin.

Cartridge Holder

Cartridge holder is a transparent plastic cover under which cartridge is placed. It has series of numbers written over it for determining the level of insulin to be used.

Cartridge

Cartridge is also known as reservoir which holds insulin. It is a clear plastic area that lets you know the quality of insulin and see how much of it is left. In addition to it, cartridge of insulin pens may be replaced if the pen is reusable or else in case of disposable pens you need to throw it once used.

Pen Body

It refers to the frame of pen to which all other components are attached.

Label

Insulin pen come with a label over which various types of information are provided such as insulin type, expiration date, and brand of insulin.

Dose Window

Dose window is located near the injection button which display over it the numbers. It shows you the number of insulin selected.

Dose Pointer

There is an arrow indicating to the units of insulin over the dose window which is known as dose pointer.

Dose Knob

Dose knob is also called dose selector which is turned to select the right dosage for insulin injection.

Injection Button

Injection button is situated at the end of pen requiring only a thumb to press for getting insulin dose.

Pen Needle

Although attached separately, insulin pen has a needle which is itself made up of several parts as shown in the picture above. These include outer cap, inner cap, needle, protective seal. Needle for insulin pen is supposed to be used for single time only.

6.Insulin Vial Vs Pen- How To Use?

Similar to the benefits, drawbacks, and components, insulin vial vs pen has specific usage method which should be followed as it is. So, let's know how to use each of them in the upcoming paragraphs!

Usage for Insulin Vial

Before You Start

Washing hands- Picture Courtesy: androscoggin.org

Wash your hands before injecting insulin vial. Along with this, you need to be careful of checking the clarity of insulin that it is free from particles and any kind of impurity. Use new needle or syringe.

Prepare The Dose

Preparing insulin dose- Picture Courtesy: lantus.com

For preparing your insulin dose, you will need two objects that is insulin vial and a syringe. Few steps for clear understanding are as follows:

• Remove the cap of an insulin vial in case it is new one, however, make sure to keep the stopper over vial neck.
• Inject air into the syringe to the level that must be equal to the insulin dose.
• Now, put the syringe needle into vial and keep it there for a while.
• Press the plunger to let air get into the vial and pull the plunger to draw the correct dose into the syringe.

Remove Air Bubbles

Removing air bubbles- Picture Courtesy: lantus.com

Upon drawing insulin dose from vial into the syringe, bubbles may appear inside injection. In that case, you need to wait until they vanish. You may tap the syringe up down and push the bubbles out of injection by pressing plunger to get desired dose.

Choose Injection Area

Choosing injection area- Picture Courtesy: lantus.com

Now is the time to find right place for injection which can be upper arm, thigh, or abdomen. Clean your skin by rubbing off with an alcohol wipe and let is evaporate properly.

Complete Injection

Injecting insulin into body- Picture Courtesy: lantus.com

Moving forward, it is time to complete injection. So, pinch the skin and slowly insert syringe needle inside. Gently push the plunger and leave for ten seconds so the dose could be administered properly.

Dispose Properly

Throw away the used insulin vial along with syringe properly.

Usage for Insulin Pen

The usage method for insulin pen is quite simple. You need to follow certain steps as mentioned below:

Wash Your Hands

Washing hands- Picture Courtesy: unityhc.com

Before you jump towards picking up your insulin pen, it is necessary to maintain hygiene for which washing hands is a prerequisite. Wash your hands properly and then pick up the essentials required for insulin pen dosage.

Disinfect Injection Site

Disinfecting injection site- Picture Courtesy: healthacademyonline.co.uk

Now, you may use an alcohol swab and wipe the injection site in order to remove out all the bacteria for disinfection.

Prepare Insulin Pen

Preparing insulin pen- Picture Courtesy: childrenwithdiabetes.com

This is an important step where you need to ready your insulin pen. For this, you can simply follow little steps as under:

• Select the insulin pen which is right one as there are different types of insulin pen. However, you need to opt for the one as suitable such as disposable one, reusable one, single dose, or mixed one.
• Now, uncap your insulin pen and attach a new needle to the pen by screwing.
• Once needle is properly connected just remove the protective cap of needle.
• Fix the dose via by using dose knob to set the insulin dosage.

Insert The Needle

Inserting insulin pen needle- Picture Courtesy: nicerx.com

The next step is to insert the needle of your insulin pen into skin. However, before this it is better to pinch the area and then carefully press the needle straight into the 90-degree angle.

Push Injection Button

Pushing injection button- Picture Courtesy: novomedlink.com

Upon pressing the needle into skin, here you will push the injection button to let the insulin dose pass into your body. During this period, have a pause for few seconds so the insulin can be delivered properly.

Remove Insulin Pen

Once you are done with insulin dose, gently remove the needle and cover it with clear cap. Remember to properly dispose off the used needle as well as insulin pen, in case of disposable one.

7.Insulin Vial Vs Pen- Manufacturing Process Comparison?

The manufacturing process of insulin vial vs pen vary from each other which can be better understand by looking into their respective manufacturing processes as mentioned below:

Manufacturing Process of Insulin Vial

Insulin Formulation

Insulin formulation- Picture Courtesy: innovationnewsnetwork.com

The manufacturing process of insulin vial starts from the very first step which is insulin formulation. In this phase, the liquid suspension of insulin is prepared through machines under controlled temperature. The common phases encompasses cooking, mixing, and filtration etc.

Vials Sterilization

Vials sterilization- Picture Courtesy: groninger-group.com

Vial sterilization is one of the important steps to be carried out during insulin vial manufacturing. It involves disinfecting glass vials from bacteria and pathogens through washing, rinsing, and ultrasonic cleaning.

Vials Filling

Vials filling- Picture Courtesy: groninger-group.com

Properly cleaned vials are supposed to be filled with precise dosage of insulin. This step is fulfilled by the automatic liquid filling machines such as vial filling machine.

Vials Capping

Vials capping- Picture Courtesy: syntegon.com

The manufacturing process also include proper capping of insulin filled vials where each vial is provided with a cap which is tightly adhered to its neck.

Vials Labeling

Vials labeling- Picture Courtesy: cvctechnologies.com

Labeling play essential role in the identification of insulin vials by providing information about insulin type, expiration date, brand, and batch no etc.

Quality Control

Quality control is an important aspect of insulin vial manufacturing process where the quality of entire production is examined. It includes checking material integrity, insulin volume, and clarity etc.

Vials Packaging

Vial packaging- Picture Courtesy: asahi-pp.co.jp

The final packaging of insulin vials is also very necessary to ensure their safety till they reach end user. For this, cartoning of vials can be done individually or collectively.

Manufacturing Process of Insulin Pen

Insulin Formulation

Insulin formulation- Picture Courtesy: medsintez.com

First of all, insulin is produced through several steps which commonly include production of recombinant human insulin using microorganisms, their purification, and division into various insulin types.

Cartridge Filling

Insulin cartridge filling- Picture Courtesy: manufacturingchemist.com

The prepared insulin is then filled into glass cartridge with filling machine which are highly hygienic and efficient. Each cartridge is filled with fixed amount of insulin.

Pen Assembling

Insulin Pen assembling- Picture Courtesy: assemblymag.com

Pen assembling is another such crucial phase where different parts are combined together to make a complete insulin pen. This is done by using sophisticated assembly machine for insulin pen.

Pen Labeling

Insulin pen labeling- Picture Courtesy: patientsafety.pa.gov

After assembling come the labeling phase which is also very significant. For this, printed label is applied to the formed insulin pen displaying information regarding the insulin type, amount, and date of expiration etc.

Pen Packaging

Insulin Pen packaging- Picture Courtesy: medineeds.in

These insulin pen needs to be properly packed to ensure protection against breakage especially during transit. For this purpose, insulin pens are packed in various packages such as blister packs, boxes, and cartons etc.

Conclusion

To put in a nutshell, insulin vial vs pen is an important topic to have information about due to their growing use and significance. Although, both serve the same purpose of delivering insulin, however, their manufacturing process, components, and most importantly the usage method greatly vary from each other. Despite these facts, both insulin vial and pen carry potential benefits as well as drawbacks. Thus, you should understand the differences thoroughly to let all your conundrum get resolved. Besides that, AIPAK Engineering is offering topnotch manufacturing machine for insulin vial vs pen. So, don't forget to visit our website!