Animas OneTouch Ping Insulin Pump Review

The latest Animas insulin pump is called the OneTouch Ping. It is safe to say that there is no other insulin pump currently on the market with some of the pump’s unique characteristics. The pump combines a pump with a remote control and glucose meter to deliver a sophisticated, yet straight forward solution to pumping.

The Ping is manufactured by Animas Corporation. Animas is a division of Johnson & Johnson. This affiliation allows the Ping to be designed using OneTouch glucose meter technology to deliver a one stop solution to glucose management.

KEY ADVANTAGES

There are many advantages of features that Animas has incorporated into the pump. Here are a few.

• SMALL BASAL RANGE: Insulin can be delivered to as low as 0.025 U/hr. This is the smallest available.
• METER REMOTE: This is the key difference for the Ping. You get the insulin pump and a device called the meter remote. With the remote feature, you can control the insulin pump. With the meter features, you can test your glucose levels, like a normal glucose meter, and communicate these results to your pump.
• CALORIE KING: You can program up to 500 foods and their nutritional values into the meter /remote. This allows you to make adjustments to your insulin levels on the fly.
• DISPLAY:  The color screen is self illuminating.
• WATER PROOF: Go ahead, leave it in up to 12 feet of water for 24 hours. Not sure why you would do this, but go ahead anyway and the pump will be fine. Seriously, if you like to swim for exercise, this is a good waterproof pump option.

The company has 24/7, 365 day customer service to help with any questions. Also, the company has a generous upgrade policy to save you money.

KEY DISADVANTAGES

Despite all of the key advantages above, the OneTouch Ping may not be for everyone. First, the reservoir is only 200 units. The majority of pumps have a 300 unit or greater.

Second, the pump does break some new ground with its features and advanced set up. As such, if you are a technophobe or do not like to change the way you do things, you may not want to take the time to learn how to use the pump and remote/meter.

INFUSION SET

The Ping uses a standard Luer Lock, so you can use third party infusion sets.

BOTTOM LINE

Bottom line is that we like the pump and meter setup. The company does an excellent job detailing the benefits for users. The small insulin settings, waterproof case and all encompassing system (pump and meter) makes the Ping a good choice for kids.

We also like the Calorie King. If you carb count for your diet, then this is an especially useful benefit to have right in the palm of your hand. The feature also is good if you eat out and aren’t sure or cannot remember the nutritional value of certain foods.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS