Jothydev Kesavadev spoke at the first Medtronic diabetes update for doctors at Chennai on his experiences using Insulin Pumps in both Type 1 and in more than 60 type 2 diabetes patients. Dr.Scott Lee (USA), Dr.Tadej Battelino(Slovania), Dr.V.Mohan(chennai), Mrs.Shilpa Joshi(Mumbai), Dr.Usha Sriram(Chicago), Dr.Chandalia(Mumbai), Dr.A Sharada(Bangalore), Dr.Sunil M Jain(Indore) Dr.Thomas Sweeney(USA), Ms.Sonal Modi(Mumbai) were the other speakers.

One selected question:

Prof.Dr.Chandalia(Mumbai): What is the average A1c values of your type 1 diabetes patients on pumps?

Ans by Jothydev: Sir, I do admit that it is difficult to bring A1c below 7.5% in young type 1 patients. However more than 54 of our type 2 diabetes patients treated with insulin pumps at Jothydev's diabetes center in Trivandrum are maintaining A1c below 5.8% thanks to our tele follow up program.From the bitter lessons we have learnt out of a few of our out station patients we have stopped deploying pumps to those very affordable, affluent patients who do not follow up with us after pump deployment and fly back to their home country not answering to our e mails or tele follow up calls. It is quite important to notice that irrespective of type or stage of diabetes all patients reported tremendous improvement in quality of life after pump. No patient had pump occlusions contrary to some other reports from elsewhere and the probable reason could be the use of only aspart insulin(Novorapid) in our patients.

In the picture is seen Dr.Tadej Battelino having dinner with Medtronic India team, Paul Amirtharaj(Medtronic country head), Vishnu, etc, and Jothydev at Hotel Accord Metropoliton, Chennai.