Meter accuracy

[TimBenign Dictator]

Blood glucose meters are notoriously innacurate – give us your tales of meter wonkiness woes

[TimBenign Dictator]

I think the worst meter (in terms of accuracy) I’ve had is the one I’m using at the minute; the RF version of the Bayer Contour (which I reviewed over here http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2009/06/review-bayer-contour/). Most of the time it’s fine, but the other day I tested my BG and it came out as 26.1. I thought to myself “blimey, I don’t feel 26.1″, so I tested again and Lo! I was actually 7.7. This has happened enough times that I’m beginning not to trust the damned thing.

[StephenParticipant]

I “think” I’ve had a similar one with the same meter this morning. I was ranting in my status about it but decided not to bore you with hour by hour updates

32.7 when I woke up, I didn’t even think to distrust it as I did feel rather crap.

Needless to say, narrowly avoided a major hypo before lunch with the aid of an army of kit kats

[RohanMember]

Hmmm. I have never tried re-testing when surprised by a result. I may start to… I was enjoying the thought that my morning BGs are showing an improving trend today, until I got to lunch time and I was at 11.1, instead of the usual near hypo I am used to (part of my problem with fixing the DP).

I think there may have been a couple of other occasions too, as I don’t trust my feelings of being high (I have felt ‘high’ right up until crashing into a hypo before…) so just assume the meter to be right. Also, I was only aware of them not being accurate to within less than 1mmol or something, rather than giving completely false readings!

[CecileMember]

The last time I was in hospital (and had a convenient hypo), my AccuChek Active (plasma equivalent) gave a value of 2.4, while the laboratory said 1.something. At home, I’ve used both the AA and 2 Bayers (Contour USB & TS) when low, and when AccuChek says 2.something, the Bayers chime in with 1.somethings – same as laboratory, so at least I’ll trust their baying when I’m low…(oh, as for comparing different meters, make sure they all give plasma equivalents, not whole blood; whole blood’s values are higher than plasma’s)

[TimBenign Dictator]

I think a lot of our American blogger friends had a huge stuchie about meter accuracy 6 months or so ago. If you want to while away ten minutes or so, finger prick then test with two or three meters (or indeed two or three times with the same meter) and see what results you get.

[lizzParticipant]

Aren’t whole bloods LOWER than plasma readings? You have to take 12.5% off the reading of a plasma machine to understand the value if you are used to whole blood readings.

As a general point, I was told Accu-Check blood testing machines are not accurate at the lower end of the scale, which chimes with what has been said above.

What sort of machine, I mean what is the name of the machine Bayer make?

[TimBenign Dictator]

@lizz – Bayer make several – off the top of my head the Contour, Contour USB and Contour radio frequency jobby. I think I’ve reviewed most of the damned things over the last year or so: http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/about-us/about-our-reviews/

[CecileMember]

@lizz: Oops! The statement “whole blood’s values are higher than plasma’s” is a bit of hypo-thesis…according to diary, I was hovering somewhere between 3,6 and 2.6 – please lower the higher

[ChrisMember]

I bought one in america when i was on holiday cause mine broke not realsing the readings are different. it said 149 i thought it meant 14.9. Still to this day i dont understand the american blood glucose readings.

[TimBenign Dictator]

Thank goodness for your soaraway Shoot Up with our handy UK to American glucose converter there on the right of the page! I think you just divide their crazy numbers by 18 – easy enough to do in your head

[RohanMember]

Ooooh, I just tried that converter for the first time – it updates in real time, how exciting! *plays with it*

[TimBenign Dictator]

Good isn’t it? I spent all of about 10 minutes adapting it from a Celsius to Fahrenheit converter

[MikeMember]

And on the subject of whole blood vs plasma… Since they are significantly different (upwards of 10% is not to be sniffed at) I have always wondered why we didn’t get revised BG target ranges following the switch to plasma strips. Not that my clinic have ever really suggested a target range, I’ve always just used the bog-standard DUK type ones.

Not that it makes much difference I suppose, but I’d like to know exactly how massively out of range my readings are, and at the moment I’m unsure as to whether they are only fairly rubbish or of the properly toe-rotting variety…

[lizzParticipant]

I agree Mike. Makes the whole thing a farce.

On a good note, i mailed the Bayer Contour USB people and they said they can’t give them away free. So I tried my wonderful nurse and she had a voucher, so I’m going to try that one as I will be able to download to my mac and look at trends.

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