What Could Be the Cause of High Readings on True Metrix Glucose Monitor

Since your readings decide your insulin doses, diet choices, and other health factors, having an accurate blood glucose meter is crucial for managing your diabetes.

Read on to swoop into:

• How Blood Glucose Accuracy is Determined
• 8 Factors That Affect Meter Accuracy
• How to Cull an Accurate Meter
• How to Test Your Meter

How Blood Glucose Accurateness is Determined

Blood glucose is measured primarily in 2 ways:

1. Laboratory tests performed by professional healthcare providers
2. Personal blood glucose meters

How are these tests different?

Personal meters measure your blood glucose using a sample from your fingertip (or alternate site), and then analyze the whole claret, including red blood cells and all.

In a lab test performed by clinical staff, the sample is typically drawn from a vein in your arm and processed to remove red blood cells, then just the plasma is tested.

About all home glucose meters factor in the difference of using a whole blood sample while providing a examination result that is considered plasma equivalent.

Which is more than accurate?

Lab tests generally demonstrate a college level of accuracy than personal claret glucose meters, but fifty-fifty these machines can have a slight margin of error. Blood glucose meter test results are not verbal measures, but they're designed to give you lot accurate readings for daily treatment decisions when you're non at a doctor'south part.

Without going into particular on how your circulatory system works, in that location are other factors that may cause the two readings to vary slightly, but typically a result from a meter that'southward within 15-20% of your lab reading is considered authentic. So, if your lab effect says that your blood glucose is 100 mg/dL, your meter might report your results as 85 mg/dL or 115 mg/dL and still be considered accurate.

Who determines accuracy?

ISO, likewise known every bit the International Organization for Standardization, is responsible for developing and publishing specifications for products and services. The standards set up by the organisation are intended to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency, so that you can be confident in your purchases.

Blood glucose meters are one of the many products with ISO standards. For a arrangement to meet the latest ISO 15197:2013 accurateness standard, 95% of blood glucose results must exist within 15% (for values equal to or greater than 100 mg/dL) and xv mg/dL (for values below 100 mg/dL). Information technology besides requires 99% of results to autumn within zones A or B of the Consensus Mistake Grid.

The FDA, which oversees products cleared in the U.S., has its own system accuracy recommendations. Their most recent typhoon guidance represents their current thinking on accurateness and relies heavily on the ISO guidelines.

8 Factors That Can Affect Glucose Meter Accurateness

Test Strips

When you use a test strip, the glucose in your blood interacts with enzymes on the strip. This releases electrons, creating an electrical current. The meter and so converts that into a concentration of glucose to give you lot a reading.

Because this process is so complicated, your test strips can be very sensitive to variables. Inaccurate results tin can come from test strips that:

• Are damaged or expired
• Are afflicted by estrus or moisture
• Do non take enough claret applied
• Are non designed for your meter
• Take contaminants (oil, balm, nutrient) on the sample area

Accurateness Tip: You should always keep your test strips in their container, stored at the temperature specified by the manufacturer. Test strip designs may vary, so it'southward of import to understand where the blood sample should be applied to avert testing errors or inaccurate results. Likewise make sure that you're using tests strips that have not expired and are fabricated specifically for your meter model.

Environmental Weather

The chemistry of your exam strips, every bit well as your ain blood flow and composition, can be affected by the conditions of your environment.

An active component in the test strip chemistry, called an enzyme, can be sensitive to temperature and humidity atmospheric condition. Temperature and humidity extremes can cause the enzyme activity to decrease and touch on the accuracy of results.

Your trunk besides reacts differently at different temperatures. High temperatures tin can make information technology easier for y'all to become dehydrated and concentrate (drag) glucose levels, while low temperatures may affect circulation and lower blood menstruum to testing sites.

Some studies accept shown devices to over or under approximate glucose when testing at loftier altitudes. If this is of business concern, ostend the distance rating for your device.

Accuracy Tip: Go on examination strips at room temperature and go on the container closed and so your strips are protected from the elements. This means taking them with you wherever you go to avoid leaving them in a hot or common cold motorcar. If you have been exposed to colder temperatures and your hands do not experience warm, wash and hold them under warm water before taking a test to improve blood menstruum and reduce meter errors.

Substances on Your Skin

Annihilation you touch on or put on your skin can end up in your claret sample and so on your test strip. Since many electric current meters utilise a micro-sized blood sample, just touching something that contains carbohydrate and not washing your hands can affect your readings. If you recently washed your hands merely didn't dry them completely, the water left on your fingers can have a diluting effect on the sample, likewise.

Accuracy Tip: Always launder and thoroughly dry your hands before every test.

Amount of Blood in Your Examination Strip

It's possible to have likewise much or non enough blood in the test strip sample area, which can pb to inaccurate results or an error reading.

Accuracy Tip: Your meter should country the required blood sample size, like 0.5 microliters, then you have an understanding of how much blood is needed for testing. Avert squeezing directly around the lanced area when forming a blood drop. You can also experiment with different size lancets to notice one that produces the amount y'all need.

Testing Site Location

Because of the physiological differences in the circulation of certain areas of your body, test results from alternate sites (similar your forearms, calf, or thigh) are often less accurate than testing with your fingertip. This is due to the frequency with which fresh blood is circulated to each part of the torso. If y'all have recently eaten, exercised, or taken medication that could lower your glucose, these changes may not be detected as quickly in alternate sites equally in the fingertip.

Accuracy Tip: Check the instructions for your meter to sympathize how alternate site testing may affect your results.

Hematocrit Variations

Variations in your hematocrit — the proportion of red blood cells in your blood — can impact the accuracy of your blood glucose meter. These variances in the corporeality of red claret cells can interfere with the calculation of glucose.

The ISO 15197:2013 standard requires functioning criteria that limits the upshot of varying hematocrit levels on a blood glucose meter. If the meter you're using does not meet this criteria, you may receive inaccurate results.

Accurateness Tip: Many meters with the latest technology can discover and right for hematocrit variations. Check the guide that came with your meter or contact the manufacturer for more details.

Meter Variances

The calibration process, enzymes, and computer programs (algorithms) in every meter on the market are different. Each brand's manufacturing, chemistry, and calibration process can differ, even across product lines from the same company. If you're using ane meter brand/model in the morning and another at night, your readings can have significant variations.

Accuracy Tip: Stick with one meter to make it easier to translate your glucose levels and the result of treatment decisions.

Incorrect Coding

A meter that requires coding means you lot'll need to input a lawmaking printed on each test strip vial in lodge to calibrate it before utilise. If the code doesn't match correctly, it could lead to inaccurate readings.

Accurateness Tip: Many "No Code" meters are available now, which lets you avoid this step. Just if you have a meter that nevertheless requires coding, brand sure yous input the code correctly to avoid inaccuracies.

How to Choose an Accurate Meter

Independent testing, like the study done by the Diabetes Technology Guild, is helpful to compare the performance of top commercially bachelor glucose meters. This report tested meters and test strips which were independently purchased from stores across the country, and representative of what a consumer would buy.

After testing the products over 300 times at iii dissimilar clinical sites, the results showed that over 66% of the pinnacle meters on the marketplace today didn't pass the rigorous report.

A surprising number of name make meters did not pass all studies. Check the list beneath to see the 12 meters that failed one or more study.

The following devices passed the examination and received the Diabetes Technology Society's Seal of Approval:

AgaMatrix & Meter Accuracy

In the higher up-mentioned study, yous can see that AgaMatrix performed as practiced or better than many of the leading brands. The results showed that 97% of our readings were within ±xv% or ±15 mg/dl of the lab test results.

All AgaMatrix products, including claret glucose meters and examination strips, are backed by earth-class manufacturing techniques in our ISO 13485:2016-certified and FDA-registered facility. We live past the principles of efficiency and precision past continuously reviewing our design, assembly, and automation practices so that people living with diabetes can take access to affordable, accurate technology that helps them amend manage their health.

To detect an AgaMatrix meter that suits your lifestyle, y'all can store here or contact usa for assistance!

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Source: https://agamatrix.com/blog/blood-glucose-meter-accuracy/