For decades, infusion sets have been the “tires” of insulin pumps, essential but often overlooked compared to the pumps themselves. In the early years they were uncomfortable, prone to kinking or clogging, and typically needed to be changed every two or three days. Medtronic recognized these challenges and worked to improve them, focusing on comfort, reliability, and longer wear.

That mission culminated in Medtronic’s 7-day Extended Infusion Set. Extending wear time to a full week was not simply a matter of stronger adhesives. It required solving hidden challenges like insulin degrading inside the tubing, preservatives leaching out, and adhesives breaking down before the week was up.

To dive into the creation of the new infusion set, I spoke with Sarnath Chittaraj from Medtronic, who has spent 24 years working on infusion sets and was closely involved in the development of the 7-day set. You can watch the full video below to hear our conversation.