CBDCE Diabetes Technology and Monitoring Flashcards

What is the primary advantage of an insulin pump (CSII) over multiple daily injections (MDI) for intensive diabetes management?

Answer: It delivers precise basal and bolus insulin doses mimicking normal pancreatic secretion

Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) delivers programmable basal rates and user-activated bolus doses, closely mimicking physiological insulin secretion.

A patient on an insulin pump is experiencing unexplained hyperglycemia. What is the first troubleshooting step a CDCES should recommend?

Answer: Immediately inject a correction dose via syringe and check the infusion site

Unexplained pump hyperglycemia may indicate an infusion site failure, so the first step is to give a correction dose by injection and inspect/replace the infusion site.

Which insulin pump feature automatically suspends insulin delivery when the CGM predicts the glucose will drop below a set threshold?

Answer: Predictive low glucose suspend (PLGS)

Predictive Low Glucose Suspend (PLGS) uses CGM trend data to stop insulin delivery before a projected hypoglycemic event, reducing hypoglycemia frequency.

When a patient uses a closed-loop 'artificial pancreas' system, what three components must work together?

Answer: CGM, insulin pump, and control algorithm

A closed-loop system integrates a CGM for glucose sensing, an insulin pump for delivery, and a control algorithm that automatically adjusts insulin based on CGM data.

A CDCES is helping a patient calculate an insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio (ICR). If the patient requires 1 unit of insulin for every 15 grams of carbohydrate, how much insulin is needed for a meal with 60 grams of carbohydrate?

Answer: 4 units

60g ÷ 15g per unit = 4 units of insulin required to cover this meal using the patient's established insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio.

What is a correction factor (sensitivity factor) used for in insulin pump therapy?

Answer: To calculate how much one unit of insulin is expected to lower blood glucose

The correction factor (or insulin sensitivity factor) defines the expected drop in blood glucose per unit of rapid-acting insulin, used to calculate correction bolus doses.