New insulin kit helps children with diabetes

A new easy-to-carry kit includes a temporary tattoo and a pen designed to make it easier for children to manage the daily administration of insulin into the body.

Mexican designer Renata Souza Luque watched her 6-year-old nephew Thomas struggle with his insulin injections after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. So she decided to do something about it. Like tens of thousands of other children, Thomas has to inject himself with insulin several times each day. However, the injection site must be rotated regularly to prevent damage to the area. Moreover, the pens used for injections are usually difficult for children to handle. Luque decided to create Thomy, an insulin kit designed especially for children.

Thomy consists of two parts. The first is a temporary tattoo for keeping track of injection sites. Luque designed the tattoos to feature fun designs, including outer-space and underwater scenes. The black-and-white designs have colored dots which mark injection sites. Users remove a single dot with an alcohol pad, which also sterilises the site for the injection. Then they inject on that spot. Once all the dots are gone, children know that it is time to remove the old tattoo and place a fresh one in a new area.

The second part of Thomy is an insulin pen designed to be easy for children to use. It features a short body, which is ergonomically designed to fit a child’s hand. It also has a release valve dipped in thermochromic plastic, which changes colour when it comes into contact with skin. The colour change encourages children to hold the needle in until the full dose is delivered. It also provides a distraction from the discomfort of the injection. The pen is fully compatible with standard insulin cartridges and needles.

The Thomy kit joins a number of products covered by Springwise for making medical care easier. These include and a handheld device that helps hyperhidrosis sufferers and a device that can detect hidden bacteria in wounds. What other products might help children with medical conditions to stay healthy?