Blood glucose meter

With help of a Blood glucose meter the glucose concentration in the blood can be determined. In this way, the patient can determine his own blood sugar.

What is a blood glucose meter?

A medical device that can be used to determine the glucose concentration in a person's blood is called a blood glucose meter. This is a microcomputer that makes it easy to measure blood sugar.

For this purpose, the patient takes some blood from an artery, capillary or vein and applies it to a special blood sugar test strip. Then the blood sample is examined by the blood glucose meter.

A blood glucose meter is indispensable for people suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus. The modern devices have the advantage of a precise measuring process. In addition, the measurement results are precisely recorded.

Shapes, types & types

Nowadays, diabetics can choose from various types of blood glucose meters. These can be roughly divided into two forms. These include the single strip systems. In a device of this type, the test strips are stored in a container that is kept separate from the blood glucose meter. A new test strip is inserted into the meter before each use. Blood glucose meters with single strip systems are therefore also smaller and weigh less than integrated devices. However, the patient must keep the additional components such as the lancing device and test strips separately.

The second form of blood glucose meter are the integrated measuring systems. A drum with several strips is placed in such a device. As a result, the integrated measuring system has a larger scope. However, the individual measurements do not need to be specially prepared.

The requirements that the instrument should meet play an important role in purchasing a blood glucose meter. This includes a handy size, precise measurement results, problem-free operation of the device, a short measurement duration, extensive data storage and a display that the patient can read easily. In addition, the test results must be easy to understand and easy to manage.

When buying a blood glucose meter, you should be careful because the quality of the instruments varies from provider to provider. In principle, however, blood glucose meters are classified as reliable. Incorrect measured values ​​arise primarily from incorrect use.

Structure & functionality

The blood glucose meter and the blood glucose test strips form a unit. The test strips are biosensors that are equipped with an enzymatic substrate specificity. The incoming chemical signal is converted by the test strip into another signal, from which the blood glucose meter can take an electrical measurement. The electrical signal can be amplified by the measuring device.

With the help of integrated microprocessor technology, it is possible to convert the signal into a numerical value. To do this, the device needs a blood sample from the patient, which is applied to a test strip. The volume of the drop of blood given off by the patient is 0.4 microliters.

While in earlier years the finger had to be scratched with a knife-like lancet, nowadays a round, fine lancet is used instead. This ensures less damage to the tissue. A new lancet should be used after each puncture, as the fine lancet tips quickly become blunt, which makes drawing blood more painful.

How the blood glucose test ultimately works depends on the type of measuring device. Usually the blood sample is taken from the fingertip on the side. After the collection, the diabetic applies blood to a test strip. It only takes a few seconds for the measured value to appear on the display. The normal blood sugar level of a healthy adult person is 55 to 90 mg / dl in whole blood. For blood plasma it is 70 to 100 mg / dl.

The results obtained can also be logged, linked and processed by the blood glucose meter. Personal nutritional data, information on medication and data on exercise are important. In this way, the patient does not need to keep a diabetes diary. With special medical software, the data can also be transferred to a computer.

Medical & health benefits

A blood glucose meter is extremely important for diabetics to determine their blood sugar. The blood sugar measurement is also called point blood glucose measurement. This procedure can be used to diagnose conditions associated with high or low blood sugar levels.

Furthermore, a blood glucose meter is used to control diabetes (diabetes mellitus). In the case of diabetes, the islet cells of the pancreas lose their function. The consequence of this is the increased release of insulin, which in turn leads to a rise in blood sugar levels. By measuring blood sugar, it is possible to detect hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). The same applies to hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar.

The blood sugar test can also indicate other serious illnesses. A rise in blood sugar levels is sometimes seen as a sign of pancreatitis or a heart attack.

The health benefit of the blood glucose meter consists on the one hand in the diagnosis and on the other hand in the control of the therapy. It can u. a. determine the effect of certain drugs. It is also possible to check compliance with the therapy goals.

It is also important to use a blood glucose meter to adjust the amount of insulin before meals. The planned amount of carbohydrates can also be calculated.

Blood glucose meters are primarily used for type I diabetes, type 2 diabetes, which is treated with insulin, and gestational diabetes. Due to this fact, the self-measurement of the patient is one of the most important elements of diabetes treatment.