Choosing Your Infusion Set
The infusion set is the tiny plastic tube or cannula that you insert into the subcutaneous
tissue. There are many different infusion sets available, and your pump educator will work with you to choose a
set that will work best for you. There are some pump sets that have a cannula (plastic tubing) angled at 30 to
45 degrees, and some sets with a straight cannula (90 degrees). Most are made of Teflon, but there are some that
are made of metal. The angled sets are more reliable than the straight sets in that they are less likely to get
kinked, but the disadvantage of the angled sets is that the introducer needle is longer. Some sets need to be
inserted manually, and others can be inserted with a spring-loaded insertion device. The insertion device makes
it easier to place the sets in hard-to-reach places such as the buttocks. Inserting sets is clearly a little
more painful than using a needle, but you are only doing it once every three days. For children, using a numbing
lidocaine cream like EMLA or LMX 4 percent before insertion can make it easier.
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