Introducing The New Medtronic Mio 30!

This week I was very fortunate to have been invited to Medtronic's London headquarters to get a sneak peak at a new product that they'll be launching in the UK this coming Monday! The new product is called the Mio 30 and it's a new way to insert the needle that connects the tubing to the Medtronic insulin pump. For those who aren't on a pump or aren't familiar with the Medtronic ones, please feel free to check back to my blogs and vlogs from when I did my MiniMed 640g 64 day trial.

The MiniMed Mio 30 Packaging, Set and Tubing

But basically when you wear an insulin pump, the delivery of insulin is continuous because of a plastic needle worn underneath the skin. So this fact contextualises why this is such a momentous product launch, because the way that you introduce the needle is incredibly important. In terms of making sure it goes in the right place, that it sits comfortably and that it's as 'pain-free' an experience (as these things can be).

The MiniMed Mio 30 Set

So what's special about the Mio 30 I hear you say? Well, the sets available for Medtronic pumpers at the moment are the Mio, where the needle enters the skin at 90 degrees and the silhouette that goes in at an angle but has quite a vigorous needle-introducing device in order to do this. Whereas the Mio 30 comes in a compact applicator that introduces the needle swiftly, but by what I consider to be a relatively gently method,  at an angle of 30 degrees. When I tried the set at Medtronic HQ, I immediately saw that the Mio 30 gave me much more control over where the needle was able to sit. This is something that's important to me because as an athlete my body type means that the needle has a specific area in which it needs to sit for good insulin delivery and comfort, and the Mio 30 delivered on this.

The other innovations included in the new Medtronic Mio 30 sets are that the applicator/ needle and tubing now come separately packaged. Therefore, for example if your set change and insulin change don't match up for being done on the same day, now there's no need to only use parts of the set. Which enables someone using the device to have more flexibility. The only downside taht I've seen so far is that there is slightly more waste packaging once the needle has been inserted, than compared to the silhouette. However, the Mio 30 set itself is light, discreet and easy to use and even offers the opportunity of a window that surrounds the needle once it's been inserted. All of which you can see for yourself in my vlog where I share my experience of inserting a Mio 30 set!