glucose meters

Four generations of blood glucose meter, c. 1993-2005.

Sample sizes vary from 30 to 0.3 μl. Test times vary from

5 seconds to 2 minutes (modern meters typically provide

results in 5 seconds).A glucose meter (or glucometer) is a

medical device for determining the approximate concentration

of glucose in the blood. It is a key element of home blood glu-

cose monitoring (HBGM) by

people with diabetes mellitus or hypoglycemia. A small drop of blood, obtained by pricking the skin with a lancet, is placed on a disposable test strip that the meter reads and uses to calculate the blood glucose level. The meter then displays the level in mg/dl or mmol/l.

 

 Since approximately 1980, a primary goal of the management of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus has been achieving closer-to-normal levels of glucose in the blood for as much of the time as possible, guided by HBGM several times a day. The benefits include a reduction in the occurrence rate and severity of long-term complications from hyperglycemia as well as a reduction in the short-term, potentially life-threatening complications of hypoglycemia.