Insulin pump used at 10,000 ft to treat 12-yr-old diabetic girl
Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, August 18
Dr Jatinder Kumar Mokta, Professor, Medicine, IGMC, Shimla, achieved a rare feat for the treatment of a type 1 diabetes patient by using for the first time an insulin pump at an altitude of 10,000 feet in the tribal district of Lahaul & Spiti.
Dr Mokta said, “An insulin pump was installed to a little girl aged 12 years at an altitude 10,000 feet at Keylong on March 12 this year. A regular follow up of the girl revealed that her fasting glucose level had come down and ranged between 110-130 mg/dl and post-meal glucose was between 150-170 mg/dl. She has now been playing with her friends for up to four hours a day and her parents are very happy.”
“It was a major challenge to keep the insulin safe for medical treatment at such a high altitude in the freezing temperature but I devised a locally applicable indigenous method to keep the insulin at an appropriate temperature in the freezing winter,” he said.
He said, “Earlier this year, the girl from Keylong had visited me at the IGMC, Shimla, for treatment. It was revealed during the visit that she had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six and had been taking multiple insulin injections since then. Her mother used to visit her daily at her school to inject the day-time insulin.”
“To my surprise, her blood glucose was never controlled. Most of her blood glucose reports showed blood glucose levels above 400 to 500 mg/dl with glycated haemoglobin level 16 per cent (6-7% normal),” Dr Mokta said.
“In March, the then Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, Pankaj Rai, called me up and discussed about the treatment option for the girl. He desired to help if better treatment option exists. Insulin pump installation came up as the best treatment option but cost was a big concern (Rs 1.95 lacs). The Deputy Commissioner was kind enough and sanctioned the money, paving the way for the treatment of the little girl,” he said.
