Tuesday 17 April 2012

How Too Choose A Blood Glucose Meter

Blood glucose meter or glucometer is a tool in your diabetic kit that you couldn’t live without. The majority of diabetics rely on this portable medical device to provide them accurate readings of their blood glucose levels on a daily, even constant, basis. But, with so many choices out there, it is easier to pick the wrong glucometer than to get the right one.

Here are several things you should look for in a glucometer:
Comfort and convenience – Blood glucose monitoring is more than a routine blood check-up that will require you to check on your glucose levels once every few days. It is a constant routine that may even compel you to draw blood samples from your fingertips every hour or so, often subjecting you to little discomforts that may become annoying and very inconvenient as testing continues. Doctors always advise that although convenience should not be at the top of your list of priorities when choosing a good glucometer, it should be given emphasis.

The lesser blood the meter needs, the lesser discomfort you can expect. There are glucometers nowadays that do not force their users to use lancing devices or other methods of piercing the skin to draw blood samples. Some of these diabetic products are non-invasive and only require lesser samples than their less modern counterparts. Portability – Not too small, not too big. This is the rule of thumb when choosing a blood glucose meter. You would want a device that is small enough so you can bring with it you outdoors and large enough to house a mid-sized monitor that will easily let you read your blood glucose values. Alternative sites – Fingertips are very sensitive areas and with constant drawing of blood samples, the fingertips become overused, so to speak.

There are a lot of glucometers today that let patients to draw blood in other less sensitive areas like the forearm, palm, upper arm and thigh. Also, some products allow patients to rotate testing sites. Insurance coverage – Glucometers are typically covered by insurance companies, allowing patients to obtain these free of charge or at a minimal charge. But, long term use may still cut a considerable portion of your finances since there are insurance companies that only cover the glucometer but not the other tools that should be used with it. Also there are companies that only provide coverage for particular types or brands of glucometers. It is always wise to check with your providers first before getting yourself this device.
Cost – Glucometers are not a one-time purchase. You may not need to buy a new glucometer for a few months or so, but the real expense of using this device comes from buying the disposable test strips whose price range from 50 cents to $1 per piece. Remember that you may need to use three or more strips per day so buying these strips can sum up to thousands of dollars per year.

When choosing a blood glucose meter, always calculate your expenses in terms of the test strips. Functionality more than sophistication – There are glucometers that have built-in memory, download options, and other perks. Although you may only need to toss a few dollars to get these extra features, you might be spending for something that you don’t really need. Consider these your last priorities.
Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring: Is It A Good Alternative To Glucometers?


Continuous glucose monitoring systems or CGM provide a more convenient alternative to typical glucose monitoring devices that compel diabetes patients to prick their skin a couple of times every day. These use a circuit of devices that is connected to a sensor inserted under the skin to continuously gather records of blood glucose values. CGM basically records fluctuations in blood glucose levels on a constant basis to determine whether changes in the diet, medication, treatment, or physical activity are needed. CGM has three components: a sensor, a transmitter, and a pager-like wireless monitor. The sensor is inserted under the skin, usually in the upper arm, near the thighs, and under the abdomen, to measure glucose levels of the tissue fluids.

People who are using insulin injections, insulin pens, and insulin pumps have no problem finding these sites as these are basically the same. It should be noted that sensors should be placed two inches away from the navel and should not be placed over bruised, swollen, and tender skin. Placing the sensor is usually quick and relatively painless. A transmitter is hooked to the sensor and sends information every ten seconds or so via radio waves to a pager-sized monitor, which then displays blood glucose values. The transmitter of a CGM is rechargeable and should be recharged every few days. This is water resistant and does not need to be removed during bathing, exercising and swimming.


CGM comes with an alarm system. This alerts the patient whenever blood glucose levels go below or above the set threshold. CGM is replaced every three to seven days, depending on the brand and manufacturer. After which, all the data recorded in its built-in memory are downloaded to a computer. This information will be analyzed and charts and graphs will be produced to represent the trends in the fluctuations of blood glucose levels. Although the results recorded by the CGM are accurate, these should still be checked with a blood glucose monitors or glucometers from time to time for calibration. Advantages of using CGM While CGM does not guarantee very accurate readings and is fairly expensive, many patients still opt to use this device because it allows constant monitoring of blood glucose levels without having to prick the skin to draw blood samples.

Once the monitor is attached to the patient, continuous readings can be obtained. Another advantage of using a continuous glucose monitoring system is that fluctuations as well as trends in glucose levels are identified more constantly. Also, this system can possibly record changes in blood glucose that are easy to be overlooked when using glucometers and other tests. For example, CGM can detect dangerous changes in blood glucose levels overnight, in between meals, in the morning, during and after exercise, after every meal, and during a 7-hour time span. Information gathered around these hours can provide health care providers with critical information that will help them decide whether there is a need for a change in treatment, medication and lifestyle. Disadvantages

 The CGM system is not yet perfected. Thus, inconsistencies with the records are very common. In order to resolve this problem, users often calibrate their CGMs with blood glucose meters.
CGM is not a replacement to glucometers. Although it can display blood glucose values continuously, glucometers still provide more accurate readings.

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