How A Glucometer Works
If you're diabetic, or know someone who is, chances are that you've at least seen a glucometer. The small portable device that looks more like a stop watch is highly instrumental in monitoring glucose levels in diabetics so they may be in a position to manage highs and lows of their blood sugar levels.
The glucometer is primarily composed of 3 parts: the lancet device for pricking the finger, the test strip and the meter for measuring the blood droplet. Glucometers are many and varied. Be it the simple one or the one touch one's, the basic functionality of a glucometer is analysis of sugar levels in a blood sample. Its cousins differ mainly in size, placement of test strip and the location from where blood samples can be obtained.
The procedure:
It is very necessary to wash your hands with warm water before the entire procedure. Massage the finger so the blood flows to the tip. Cock the lancing device so the needle is ready. Push the lancet down onto the finger and push the button to release the needle. The needle creates a small prick on the fingertip. Place the testing strip into the meter. This turns the meter on. Place the meter strip under the droplet, so the blood is drawn onto the strip and into the meter. It takes five seconds for the meter to read the blood and display the results.
Formerly the lancet punctures the skin; blood sample is placed onto the glucose strip. Once the blood sample has made it on to the glucose strip, a device called a glucose meter is used to measure the glucose in the blood. Each test strip contains an enzyme electrode called glucose oxidase that reacts when the blood draws into the strip. This enzyme reacts with the glucose in the blood sample and creates an acid called gluconic acid. The gluconic acid then reacts with another chemical in the testing strip called ferricyanide. The ferricyanide and the gluconic acid then combine to create ferrocyanide.
Once ferrocyanide has been created, the device runs an electronic current through the blood sample on the strip. This current is then able to read the ferrocyanide and determine how much glucose is in the sample of blood on the testing strip. That number is then relayed on the screen of the glucose testing meter. The numerals relayed on the screen indicate milligrams per deciliter. Normal readings before a meal are 70 to 120mg/dL. Readings after a meal should be under 180mg/dL. Readings below 70mg/dL indicate hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Readings above 180mg/dL indicate hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
Glucometers are battery powered for portability, though some have rechargeable batteries like a cell phone. Newer models require the test strip to be placed into the top of the glucometer, with the absorbent strip facing out, toward the patient. The sample is then touched to the top edge of the test strip, which wicks the sample into the strip itself and is then tested unlike earlier where the entire procedure was manual.
A glucometer must be used with the correct test strips, or the sample will be analyzed improperly, or not at all. With the aid of a glucometer, patients can considerably avoid debilitating conditions like diabetic comas which results from both extremes in blood sugar levels. A glucometer has become an essential contrivance in every household which not only helps keep track of the glucose levels but also the seriousness of the condition
RITU NAIYA
The glucometer is primarily composed of 3 parts: the lancet device for pricking the finger, the test strip and the meter for measuring the blood droplet. Glucometers are many and varied. Be it the simple one or the one touch one's, the basic functionality of a glucometer is analysis of sugar levels in a blood sample. Its cousins differ mainly in size, placement of test strip and the location from where blood samples can be obtained.
The procedure:
It is very necessary to wash your hands with warm water before the entire procedure. Massage the finger so the blood flows to the tip. Cock the lancing device so the needle is ready. Push the lancet down onto the finger and push the button to release the needle. The needle creates a small prick on the fingertip. Place the testing strip into the meter. This turns the meter on. Place the meter strip under the droplet, so the blood is drawn onto the strip and into the meter. It takes five seconds for the meter to read the blood and display the results.
Formerly the lancet punctures the skin; blood sample is placed onto the glucose strip. Once the blood sample has made it on to the glucose strip, a device called a glucose meter is used to measure the glucose in the blood. Each test strip contains an enzyme electrode called glucose oxidase that reacts when the blood draws into the strip. This enzyme reacts with the glucose in the blood sample and creates an acid called gluconic acid. The gluconic acid then reacts with another chemical in the testing strip called ferricyanide. The ferricyanide and the gluconic acid then combine to create ferrocyanide.
Once ferrocyanide has been created, the device runs an electronic current through the blood sample on the strip. This current is then able to read the ferrocyanide and determine how much glucose is in the sample of blood on the testing strip. That number is then relayed on the screen of the glucose testing meter. The numerals relayed on the screen indicate milligrams per deciliter. Normal readings before a meal are 70 to 120mg/dL. Readings after a meal should be under 180mg/dL. Readings below 70mg/dL indicate hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Readings above 180mg/dL indicate hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
Glucometers are battery powered for portability, though some have rechargeable batteries like a cell phone. Newer models require the test strip to be placed into the top of the glucometer, with the absorbent strip facing out, toward the patient. The sample is then touched to the top edge of the test strip, which wicks the sample into the strip itself and is then tested unlike earlier where the entire procedure was manual.
A glucometer must be used with the correct test strips, or the sample will be analyzed improperly, or not at all. With the aid of a glucometer, patients can considerably avoid debilitating conditions like diabetic comas which results from both extremes in blood sugar levels. A glucometer has become an essential contrivance in every household which not only helps keep track of the glucose levels but also the seriousness of the condition
RITU NAIYA
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