Longevity of a Blood Glucose Meter

Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Longevity of a blood glucose meter is very important point to focus on. Today, there are many glucose meters available in the market, so it is very hard to analyze which one has a long life. Along with this, it is also necessary to take proper care of it for its longevity.

Tips to Maintain Longevity of a Blood Glucose Meter

  • Most of all meters have a finger stick with a special needle or lancet. A drop of blood from the finger is taken and placed on a strip that reads the glucose level of the blood. The meter shows the result on the screen which appears like a pocket calculator.
  • Good maintenance of the meter is very important, so as to maintain its longevity. Here are some tips that can help you to increases the life of the glucose meter:
    1. Always wash and dry your hands well before starting the test
    2. Keep a record of the expiry dates of the test strip
    3. Always keep your meter clean
    4. Make sure to use a large drop of blood for testing the sugar level
  • For blind people, there are speaking meters. Some meters have colorful test strips to appeal to children. Some meters can measure blood ketones along with blood glucose.
  • There are some important instructions for cleaning glucose meters included in the product manual. These cleaning techniques vary from product to product.
  • Some of the glucose meters need cleaning on a regular basis to maintain its accuracy and longitivty cleaning.
  • One can do regular cleaning by using a soft cloth, so as to protect it from damage of the sensitive parts.
  • Keep in mind that you should not use alcohol or cleansers with ammonia, abrasive cleaners, glass cleaners, etc. for the cleaning purpose.
  • Some meters do not need regular cleaning for its lifelong use. These meters contain electronic alert systems which indicate the need for cleaning the instrument.
  • There are some meters available in the market which can only be cleaned by the manufacturer.
  • There are different kinds of germicides available in the market which are acceptable disinfectants for you meters. These are listed as below:
    1. Super Sani-Cloth® Germicidal Wipe
    2. Sani-Cloth® HB Germicidal Disposable Wipe
  • These products are basically pre-moistened towelettes which are manufactured by the team of Professional Disposables International, Inc i.e. (PDI).
  • These germicidal wipes are very easily available in the medical distributer’s shops
  • To start using this product, slowly remove a wipe from the container and after that follow the product label directions to purify the meter.
  • Keep in mind to take care of not to get any liquid in the test strip parts of the meter.
  • This is popularly used for cleaning, specifically the Microdot meter

In this way we can say the longevity of a blood glucose meter is totally in our hands. If we keep it properly and clean it regularly, it will be with us lifelong