Post Time: 2025-07-18

Blood glucose test strips are vital tools for individuals managing diabetes. These small, disposable strips, used with a blood glucose meter, provide a snapshot of your blood sugar levels at a specific moment. Accurate results from these tests are essential for effective diabetes management. Misuse of test strips can lead to inaccurate readings, which may impact your treatment plan and overall health. This article delves into the crucial aspects of using blood glucose test strips correctly. Understanding the nuances ensures that your tests are reliable, enabling you to make well-informed decisions about your diet, physical activity, and medication. It's not merely about performing a test; it's about using the strips effectively to gain a clear and trustworthy understanding of your blood glucose levels.

A proper understanding of the type of strips you need is the first step. Not all strips are compatible with all meters, and some may have specialized uses. For example, there are strips that work specifically with certain devices, and some may be better suited for those with vision issues. In addition, factors like humidity and temperature can affect a test strip’s accuracy, requiring storage in a specific environment. These aspects are paramount, not secondary, to reliable blood glucose measurement, making the selection, storage, and handling as crucial as the test itself.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Blood Glucose Test Strips Correctly

To ensure you get reliable blood sugar readings, following the proper procedure each time you test is absolutely necessary. This section provides a step-by-step guide on how to effectively use blood glucose test strips:

Wash and Dry Your Hands Thoroughly: Before beginning any blood glucose testing, always wash your hands with soap and warm water. Make sure to rinse thoroughly and dry them with a clean towel. This simple step is crucial because food residue, lotion, or other contaminants on your hands can skew the results and make them unreliable. It prevents foreign substances from interfering with the accuracy of the blood sample.
Prepare the Lancing Device and Lancets: A sterile lancet is required to puncture your fingertip and collect a blood sample. Ensure that you have the proper lancet size for your needs and insert it into your lancing device correctly, following the manufacturer's instructions. The depth setting should also be adjusted according to your skin thickness, for example, a thin skin may require a lower setting, and vice versa. Having the correct equipment helps in pain management while ensuring enough blood for the test.
Insert the Test Strip Into the Glucose Meter: Remove a test strip from the vial immediately before use, and securely close the lid to protect the remaining strips from air exposure. Insert the strip into the glucose meter in the proper direction. The meter should power on automatically, or else press the power button. Ensure that the code on the strip vial matches with the display on the meter. An incorrectly inserted or improperly coded strip is a common mistake that could produce misleading results.
Obtain a Blood Sample: Use your prepared lancing device to puncture the side of your fingertip, using a new sterile lancet every time. After puncturing, gently squeeze your fingertip to obtain a small drop of blood. Ensure that there is enough blood so the test strip will draw in sufficient sample. A tiny drop can sometimes not be adequate for an accurate reading. If too much blood is applied, the meter might produce an error.
Apply the Blood to the Test Strip: Gently touch the blood drop to the edge of the test strip. The strip will draw in the blood sample through capillary action. Make sure that there's enough blood to be taken by the test strip but not too much to overfill it. Many meters have fill sensors or alarms. A common error is moving the strip during the draw or misapplying the blood sample.
Wait for the Result: Once the blood is absorbed, your glucose meter will display your blood sugar reading after a few seconds. Note that you should check your meter documentation on whether you can wait a short time before applying the sample, and the expected wait time for the results. Read the display carefully and note the measurement for future use or discussion with healthcare providers. In many cases the measurement, as well as the date and time, will be stored in the device's memory automatically.
Record your Result and Clean Up: After seeing the results, properly discard used strips and lancets into a sharps container. Log your blood sugar reading along with other relevant information like the time and date, dietary details, and physical activity level in your records. Maintaining these records helps healthcare providers and yourself in spotting trends or making necessary treatment changes.

Factors Affecting Test Strip Accuracy

Several factors can influence the accuracy of blood glucose test strips, potentially leading to inaccurate blood glucose readings. Being aware of these factors can help you prevent errors and ensure you're getting reliable results.

Expiration Date: All test strips have an expiration date printed on the packaging. Using expired strips can produce inaccurate or inconsistent readings. Always check the expiration date before use and discard the strips if they have passed it, regardless of the usage frequency. Do not assume that an expired test strip works correctly; the chemical components could become unstable over time.
Storage Conditions: Test strips should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and humidity. Extreme temperatures and moisture can damage the chemical reagents on the strips. Always store them in their original vial with the lid tightly closed. Leaving them outside for a long period could expose them to conditions that can degrade the strip performance. The general storage temperature for test strips is between 15°C and 30°C (59°F and 86°F). Avoid keeping them in places like your bathroom or car, where temperature fluctuations are frequent.
Hand Hygiene: Insufficient hand hygiene is a common cause of error. Contaminants, even traces of food or lotion, on your hands can affect the blood sample, leading to inaccurate readings. Always make sure your hands are properly washed and completely dried before testing.
Strip Handling: Test strips are designed to be used once and only once. Reusing a strip may not give you accurate measurements and could be harmful. Also, avoid touching the strip itself or the area where the blood will be applied. This reduces the chance of transferring contaminants or damaging the chemical components on the strip.
Device Maintenance: Ensure that the glucose meter is properly maintained and that you follow the calibration and maintenance schedule. Calibration and performance of the meter also can affect the test results. Check it regularly with control solution to make sure it's working accurately. The meter may need cleaning and recalibration according to the manufacturer's instructions.
High Altitude: High altitudes have a lower air pressure and different atmospheric conditions, both factors which could affect the readings of a glucose meter. High altitude does not impact blood glucose values; instead, altitude can negatively impact the accuracy of the meter by providing results that are higher than what is actual. Consider your location when using glucose meters and calibrate accordingly.
Altitude: As air pressure drops at higher elevations, this could introduce an error of up to 10-15% if you are at 3000+ meters above sea level. This impact results in reading an incorrect blood glucose level.

Factor	Effect	Precaution
Expiration Date	Inaccurate results	Always check the expiration date; use before the date; discard when expired
Storage Conditions	Damaged strips, inaccurate readings	Store in a cool, dry place; keep the container closed
Hand Hygiene	Contaminated samples; unreliable readings	Always wash and dry hands before testing
Strip Handling	Contaminated samples; inaccurate readings	Avoid touching strips directly; use only once
Device Maintenance	Inaccurate readings; device malfunctions	Clean and calibrate per instructions; follow device guidelines.
Altitude	Higher-than-expected readings.	Calibrate meter as needed or consult a healthcare provider

Understanding and addressing these factors is paramount to obtain accurate results.

How to Choose the Right Blood Glucose Test Strips

Choosing the right blood glucose test strips is just as important as using them correctly. Here are some guidelines to help you select the best strips for your needs:

Compatibility with Your Glucose Meter: The first and foremost consideration is to ensure the test strips you choose are compatible with your specific glucose meter. Not all strips work with all meters, and using incompatible strips can lead to inaccurate readings or cause damage to your meter. Always refer to your meter's manual or the manufacturer's website to find out which strips are compatible with your device.
Cost and Insurance Coverage: The cost of blood glucose test strips can vary considerably between brands, and this expense can add up, especially if you test your blood glucose frequently. If you use test strips on a daily basis, it can be valuable to purchase in bulk to help minimize expenses. Consider strips covered by your health insurance to minimize out-of-pocket expenses. Check with your insurance provider for preferred brands or suppliers. If your insurer allows you to change suppliers, use an accredited medical supply distributor. It also helps if your health insurance covers the test strips for a specific brand, and your meter happens to use them.
Ease of Use: Some test strips are more user-friendly than others, with features that can make the testing process simpler. For example, some strips require a very small blood sample, which can be useful for people who have difficulty getting a large enough blood drop. Some strips also have visual indicators to help guide blood application. Consider factors such as the size of the strips, ease of handling, and the specific requirements for blood application, especially for seniors and visually impaired individuals.
Strip Availability Consider which brand of test strips are readily available to you in person or online. Running out of strips may impact your health regimen.
User Experience: Some manufacturers focus on producing glucose meters, blood strips, lancets, and lancing devices that are convenient, easy-to-use, and ergonomic for daily use. Consider these points when choosing between available products.
Special Features: Certain brands offer test strips with unique features. These may include:
- Alternative Site Testing: Some strips allow blood samples from places besides your fingertips, such as your palm or forearm.
  - Multi-functional Strips: Some are also designed to measure ketone levels or other parameters.
- Wider Range Compatibility: There are devices that can accommodate a wide range of strips that are not otherwise interchangeable with each other.

Feature	Importance	Considerations
Meter Compatibility	Ensures accuracy; prevents damage to the meter	Refer to the meter's manual; check the manufacturer's website
Cost & Insurance Coverage	Minimizes out-of-pocket expenses; makes testing sustainable	Contact your insurer to learn more about available coverage
Ease of Use	Facilitates the testing process; suitable for those with specific needs	Consider the size of the strip, how it’s used, any guiding visual markers
Availability	Ensures continuity in care and access to necessary supplies	Online vs in-store purchase options should be considered to prevent interruptions
User Experience	Facilitates easy blood glucose testing with comfort and convenience	Investigate devices and kits with ergonomic design that suits the individual needs of users
Special Features	Adds further functions; benefits specific requirements; reduces testing steps	Alternative site testing; strips with ketone level measurements etc

By considering these factors, you can choose the most suitable blood glucose test strips for your individual needs and help make the testing process efficient and reliable. This will lead to a better overall management of your diabetes, empowering you to make necessary changes based on your blood glucose level results.

Islet Cell Transplantation is again a therapy used in Type 1 Diabetes. It used to be an experimental therapy but with growing experience it is entering normal or common place practice. So Islet Cell Transplantation is done in those individuals with repeated low sugars is hypoglycaemias and whose requirement of insulin is so variable that it is difficult for us to manage a patient with subcutaneous insulin therapy or pump. So here what we do is take the pancreas of a dead donors blood sugar level 900 for example if somebody has donated their organs after death, we harvest their pancreas. Only the islet cells are removed and those feel shaky but blood sugar is normal islet cells are processed. After processing they are injected into the liver of the Type 1 Diabetes patient. This insulin producing beta cells gets lodges in the liver and starts producing insulin. So earlier these patients did not have any insulin producing cells. Because when we give it from outside, these patients have insulin producing cells now and these insulin pregnant fasting blood sugar producing cells starts producing insulin just like the native cells of the patient but the problem with Type 1 Diabetes is it is an autoimmune disease. So the autoimmune process that has originally destroyed the beta cells also tries to destroy the beta cells that you have injected the cadaveric beta cells. So what one does in this situation is give immunosuppresion to the patient with Type 1 Diabetes. So along with infusion of insulin producing cells into the liver of the patient, we also give immunosuppresion drug. So which suppresses the immunity in this situation, in some select centres where the processing is excellent there are patients who are insulin free or those who are taking insulin for 3 to 4 times a day, and had a very poor quality of life because the sugar was fluctuating too much. So these individuals are using no insulin at all. About 50% of the patient become cured of Type 1 Diabetes but it is an invasive procedure requiring insulin infusion to the liver and autoimmune suppression and it is not for everyone with Type 1 Diabetes.

What Is Islet Cell Transplant For Type1 Diabetes? - Dr. Anantharaman Ramakrishnan [56b9a2]