Glucose meter, a medical device that is used to determine the amount of sugar was first used in American hospitals in the early 70s. Although there were many medical professionals who resisted the adoption of this medical device and insisted that traditional laboratory procedure is more reliable when it comes to determining the degree of sugar in a person's blood, many medical experts recommended the use of glucose meters to people who are suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes in monitoring their blood sugar level.
Since the 70s, a number of hospitals around the country already used glucose meters to monitor the blood sugar level of their patients. One of the earliest known glucose meters is the Ames Reflectance Meter which was invited by Anton H. Clemens. This device has a moving needle which indicates the blood glucose level of the patient. The process of the determining the blood glucose level using this device usually takes about one minute. However, unlike the modern glucose meters that are compact and very handy, the Ames Reflectance Meter was actually 10 inches long and needed to be connected to an electrical outlet for power. Moreover, this device cost a lot of money that not many people can really afford to have one at home.
Modern Day Glucose Meters
Over the years, the designs, sizes and functionality of glucose meter ultra systems tremendously improved. A typical glucose meter nowadays is just about the size of the palm of the hand. Most glucose meters now run on batteries so you can use it anywhere you are. Instead of using moving needles to determine the blood sugar level, most contemporary glucose meters use consumable plastic test strips. Each test strip can be used once only so you should make sure that you have ample supply of these things. On the other hand, if you do not like the idea of changing the plastic test strips of your glucose meter every time you want to use it, you can opt to get a glucose meter that use a reusable disc to read blood glucose level. Glucose meters that use a reusable disc for reading may be a little bit more expensive compared to those models that use the disposable plastic test strips but the good news is that you do not really have to change your test trips every time you want to test the amount of sugar in your blood. Moreover, the disc is more stable compared to the disposable test trips.
How to test your blood sugar using the contemporary glucose meter? If you want to test the sugar level in your blood, all you need to do is to prick your finger and then smear some of your blood on the test strips or on the reusable disc of your glucose meter. The amount of blood needed to get accurate reading depends on the model of your meter. Older models usually needs larger amount of blood samples to get accurate reading. If you are still using one of those old models, you better get yourself a new one.
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