How Often Should a Blood Glucose Monitoring Device Be Replaced?

Effectively managing your diabetes is only as easy as the tools you use. A blood glucose machine, or glucometer, is of tremendous importance in diabetes management. There are numerous brands, styles and features of glucometers. Each of these factors will influence your decision on when to replace your current glucometer. If your glucometer becomes damaged in any way, an immediate replacement is necessary. You may check with the manufacturer of your current glucometer to see if the broken glucometer is covered under a warranty.

Brands and Styles

• Brands of glucometers available include Accu-Check, Freestyle, One Touch and Lifescan. If you prefer to use a meter with specific features, as discussed below, you may be limited in the brands available to you. Glucometers also come in an array of colors.

Features

• The features available on glucometers include small size, sounds, memory, time for test result and range of glucose measurement. The One Touch Ultra-Mini is the smallest glucometer available as of November 2009. It is approximately the size of a portable memory stick for your computer and comes in six colors.

  Many glucometers have sound features to indicate the start and end of testing and to "speak" the test result for those with difficulty seeing. Memory features include storage of results and calculation of averages. The use of computer software to store glucometer readings is popular and glucometers with memory functions often have the ability to upload the stored data to your computer.

  The time it takes for a glucometer to read test results can be as little as five seconds. Older machines still take up to one minute to display the test result. The test range of glucometers varies from one model to the next.

  While the ability to read glucose levels as low as 20 mg/dl or in excess of 500mg/dl may seem appealing, those readings are scary. To ensure your glucometer is functioning properly, retest your blood sugar to verify the result if an unusually low or high test result occurs. If your glucometer is not calibrated properly, readings can become distorted.

Use and Replacement

• A glucometer will give inaccurate readings if damaged, dirty, not calibrated, if outdated test strips are used or if it is not used according to the manufacturer's directions. Before cleaning your glucometer, check the manufacturer's recommendation. Some glucometers can only be cleaned by the manufacturer.

  Check your glucometer often for signs of damage on the outside casing. If dropped, test yourself twice and compare readings. Always have a backup glucometer on hand in case your glucometer suddenly fails.