How to carry out a glucose test

GLUCOSE TEST USING GLUCO METER MACHINE Aim:- to detect the concentration of glucose in the blood of man this is the concentration of glucose in the blood, normally expressed in mille moles per liter. Blood sugar estimation is an important investigation in a variety of diseases, most notably in diabetes mellitus. Glucose is the primary source of energy for the body’s cells and blood lipids. There are two (2) different types of glucose test FIGURE6: Glucumetermachine. A.Fasting Blood Sugar (F,B, S). This measures blood glucose after you have not eaten for at least 8 hours, it often the first test done to check for pre-diabetes and diabetes. .Random Blood Sugar (RBS): This measures blood glucose regardless of when you ate. Several random measurements may be taken throughout the day. Random testing is useful because glucose levels in healthy people do not vary widely throughout the day. Normal value range: may vary between the two types of test. The normal value range for fasting is 4.4 to 6.1 mmol/L, while the normal value range for random is 5.1 to 7.8 mmol/L or a bit more to even 10mmol/L. Blood sugar level outside the normal range may be an indicator of a medical condition. A persistent low level is referred to as hypoglycemia while high levels are referred to hyperglycemia; diabetes mellitus is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia for any several cases and is the most prominent diseases related to failure of blood sugar regulation. Material/Apparatus:Glucometer, blood sample, glucose test strip, calculator and lancet. Procedure:Clean the thumb with cotton wool moistened with methylated spirit for sterilization, punch the thumb with a lancet or a new needle, apply a little pressure to the punctured site for blood to flow out freely, insert the glucose test strip into the glucometer and put it on top of the blood and read the result. Interpretation of result:The result obtained from the glucometer is divided by 18 to get the test result e.g. if the result obtained from the glucometer is 105 then it will be divided by 18 and the result is 5.8mmol/l. e.g.105/18=5.8mmol/l.