BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORSBy: Matt Colletti

What is a blood glucose monitor?

• It is a device that measures the level of glucose in a blood sample

• Useful for diabetics who need to check their blood sugar

History• 1960’s- Anton Clemons developed the first instrument to

measure blood glucose• 1970- First available blood glucose model called Ames

Reflectance Meter• 1974- First reagent test strip monitor• 1980- First meter with a digital display• 1980’s- Meters became less complicated to use• 1990’s- Meters became more compact• 2000-Present: Meters have become more compact and

faster at reading results.

Test Strip Blood Glucose Monitor

• Consists of a test strip, lancet, and a reader

• Uses an enzyme to remove the free electrons from the glucose

• Requires very little blood

Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor

• It had a sensor embedded in the tissue and a receiver

• Records glucose levels every 10 seconds

• Worn for three to four days

• Used to find trends in glucose levels

Limitations• Cost: can cost up to $1800 a year for test strips and up to

a hundred dollars for a meter• Can be inaccurate due to cleanliness of the hands, test

strips and meter• Too little blood and improper calibration can also affect

results

Future • Lower cost for testing supplies• Improved accuracy of the meters• Less blood needed for testing• More continuous monitoring

Works Cited• WebMD: Diabetes and Continuous Glucose Monitoring

<http://diabetes.webmd.com/continuous-glucose-monitoring>.• Electrochemical Blood Glucose test Strips for People with Diabetes

<http://electrochem.cwru.edu/encycl/art-g01-glucose.htm>.• Wikipedia: Diabetes Mellitus <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes>.• American Diabetes Association: Blood Glucose Meters

<http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/blood-glucose-meters.html>.

• Medtronic: Continuous Glucose Monitoring <http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/treatmentoptions/continuousglucosemonitoringto>.

• Timesulin <http://timesulin.com/blog/about-timesulin/design-diabetes-top-reasons-products-fail-patient/>.

• Biritish Journal of Biomedical Science: A history of blood glucose meters and their role in self-monitoring of diabetes mellitus <http://www.bjbs-online.org/pdf/pp83-93%20BJBS69(2).pdf>.

• Science Photo Library: <http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/284288/enlarge>.