My five year old son is on a MiniMed 508, and, although he has good control (hemoglobin A1c: 5.0), we are not happy with the catheters that they offer with the pumps and are not familiar with other pumps. I am doing some research, and the new Cozmo pump looks interesting with new catheters. What pump do you recommend for a child less than five years old?

I think all the insulin pumps have certain features that are positive, and all the pumps have some features that make their pump different and potentially advantageous over the others. I agree that the Cozmo pump looks to have the best of all. I have patients who are just starting the Cozmo so I can’t relay their own experiences in a day-to-day fashion. However, recall that pumps are not actually approved for children under six, I don’t think, although that does not mean that a clinician is prohibited from prescribing one. As for pump catheters, there are several and many are ‘universal’. Ask your pump trainer about trying some different catheters!

DS
Additional comments from Dr. Stuart Brink:

You can use any brand catheters with any brand pump as long as they can connect to the pump reservoirs. If you call the other companies, they can provide you with some samples to try and see if they are better or worse.

SB
Additional comments from Dr. Larry Deeb:

I have had the best luck with delivery with the MiniMed Paradigm. All the catheters work.

LD