Bolus types


Device: MiniMed™ 770G insulin pump

A bolus is the amount of insulin taken to cover an expected rise in blood glucose (BG), typically when you eat a meal or snack. You can also use a bolus to correct a high BG reading.

There are different types of bolus deliveries you can use, depending on your insulin needs at the time. There are also different ways you can deliver a bolus. Discuss these options with your healthcare professional to determine what is best for you.

Bolus Types

  • Normal Bolus: provides a single immediate dose of insulin. You use this type of bolus to cover your food intake or to correct a high BG.
  • Square Wave™ Bolus: delivers a single bolus evenly over an extended period of time from 30 minutes up to 8 hours. You may use this type of bolus if you have delayed food digestion due to gastroparesis, if you are snacking over an extended period of time or if a Normal bolus drops your BG too rapidly
  • Dual Wave™ Bolus: delivers a combination of a Normal bolus followed by a Square Wave™ bolus. You might use this type of bolus when you eat meals that are both high in fat and carbs or when your meal bolus is combined with a correction bolus for a high BG.

Bolus Types

Keep in mind, while in SmartGuard™ Auto Mode, you can only deliver a Normal bolus.

Bolus Delivery Options

There are different ways to deliver a bolus using your insulin pump.

  • Bolus Wizard™ feature: You enter your BG meter reading or the carbs you plan to eat, or both. Then the Bolus Wizard™ feature calculates an estimated bolus amount based on your individual settings. You can deliver the bolus as a normal, Square Wave or Dual Wave bolus.
  • Manual bolus: You do your own calculation and manually enter your bolus amount. You can deliver the bolus as a normal, Square Wave or Dual Wave bolus. Not available in SmartGuard™ Auto Mode.
  • Preset bolus: You select from specific bolus settings that you define ahead of time for recurring situations. You can deliver the bolus as a normal, Square Wave or Dual Wave bolus. Not available in SmartGuard™ Auto Mode.
  • Easy Bolus feature: After the Easy Bolus feature is set up, you can deliver a Normal bolus by pressing the Up button when the pump is in sleep mode. Only a normal bolus can be delivered using this feature. Not available in SmartGuard™ Auto Mode.