Blood glucose meter

From ArticleWorld

A blood glucose meter or “glucometer” is a device used by diabetics or health professionals to measure the amount of blood glucose in a whole blood sampling. Such devices are the mainstay of diabetic managements.

Types

In general, all types of glucose meters rely on a test strip that contains chemical reagents that interact with the patient’s blood and cause a chemical reaction. The degree of chemical reaction, in turn, sends an electronic impulse into the meter that registers a reading.

Original handheld meters had strips that had reagents imbedded into a padded end. The blood was obtained, usually from the fingertips, and droplets of blood were soaked into the end of the strip. Excess blood was wiped from the strip and the strip was placed into a slot in the meter. After a set period of time, a reading from the meter was obtained.

The older models used a larger lancet (a needle-like device) than newer glucometers and required that sampling areas of the body be higher in capillary density, such as the fingertips, in order to obtain enough blood for sampling. The fingertips often became sore from frequent testing.

Newer models have a smaller test strip that involves placing one end into a slot in the blood glucose meter. Smaller amounts of blood can be sampled from the arms or legs (which are less painful than the fingers) and a tiny amount of blood is simply wicked into the hollow test strip. The reagents are in the test strip and are mixed with the blood. Nothing more needs to be done except to wait until the readout appears.

Calibration

All blood glucose meters need regular calibration to assure that accurate readings are obtained. The manufacturer provides solutions of a set amount of glucose in the solutions that are used in the place of blood. An accurate reading of the blood glucose from the meter using the calibration solution usually means that the reading must fall within a certain acceptable range. If not, then adjustments to the meter or replacement of the meter are necessary.