t:slim X2 Insulin Pump

The t:slim X2 insulin pump is the core of the system. It offers the only color touchscreen available on any insulin pump.

It allows you to remotely update the pump from home, just like you can with an iOS or Android smartphone.

This was a first in the insulin pump market. It means you don’t have to buy a new piece of hardware every time some functionality or feature is upgraded.

Tandem’s pumps are unique in using a color touchscreen. For safety reasons, there’s a three-button wake-up and confirmation series required anytime you want to use it.

You need to tap on the touchscreen’s 1-2-3 buttons when displayed to unlock it. There’s usually at least one confirmation message for whatever task you are trying to accomplish when using the pump — whether giving yourself a mealtime or “correction” dose of insulin, entering a blood sugar reading or carb amount, or manually turning off insulin delivery for a swim or other activity.

Because this system is integrated with the Dexcom G6 CGM (which you wear on your body separately), the pump display also shows a CGM icon and data.

You can press the silver “T” button on the top of the screen to wake it up and see the full-color CGM status screen for glucose data, battery and transmitter status, as well as insulin on board (IOB, or the active insulin) and the volume of insulin inside the pump at the time.

The default view of CGM data is 3 hours, but you can also scroll through 1-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hour trace screens without needing to repeat the three-button unlocking sequence.

While many people in the diabetes community have described the Tandem t:slim X2 as an easy-to-use device compared with others, there are minor issues that some find irritating when using this insulin pump:

• Possible leakage: The little pig-tail part of said tubing is unique to Tandem. For years, people have complained that the twist-and-connect design leaves open the possibility of leaking insulin or introducing air bubbles into the tubing.
• Multiple confirmation alerts: To unlock and use the touchscreen, you have to go through a confirmation screen each time. People with larger fingers or difficulty with finger movements might miss their target. Thanks to a “three strikes rule,” where the screen locks if you touch an inactive part of it three times in a row, you may need to start over by unlocking it and hitting all the buttons again.
• Fixed alarms: Several pump alarms cannot be silenced or turned off, including “empty cartridge.” So, if you have a tendency to take a break before you start a new pump session, this alarm will constantly beep without any option to quiet it.

A pump that is simple to use, simple to learn, and simple to teach.

Diabetes care is a complex and ongoing collaboration between you, your patients, and sometimes a caregiver, which is why we designed the t:slim X2™ insulin pump to be simple to use, simple to learn, and simple to teach.