Risk of Blood Glucose Measurements with Handheld Meters in Anemia Patient

Abstract

Backgrounds: Hand-held blood sugar meter operation is reported to have become abnormal at experimentally artificial hematocrit. We experimentally and clinically evaluated measurement with especially low hematocrit.
Methods: We first prepared three affiliated samples-artificial Ht adjusted blood (1), whole blood from anemic patients (2), and serial samples of blood from an anemic patient with diabetes (3)-and calculated hand-held blood sugar meters for their bias.
Results: We found clinically that sugar concentration discrepancies using hand-held meters are significant in anemic patients.
Conclusion: Although convenient to use, hand-held blood sugar meters present risks in measurement, especially in anemic patients. The approved Ht blood sampling ranges of these meters must thus be taken into account in their use.