Diabetes Finger Prick Device

7 Ways To Make Blood-sugar Testing Less Painful

No more sore fingers You need to prick your finger to obtain a drop of blood for home blood-glucose monitoring. Does it hurt? Some people say yes, but they've gotten used to it. Others say they find it virtually painless. Only you can decide. But here are 7 tried-and-true methods for making it less painful. Find out what works for you When Nancy Chiller Janow, age 54, was first diagnosed with type 2, her endocrinologist "punctured me so hard in the middle of the finger pad, that I never wanted to test again," she says. "It really hurt." Janow's internist recommended she experiment to find a more comfortable spot. "I did and finally found that testing on the side of the pad, close to the nail, is the most comfortable," she says. "I often use my thumb. Maybe because that's more callused, it's more comfortable and doesn't hurt when I stick it." Avoid pricking the finger’s tip This part of the finger is especially sensitive and can be more painful than other parts of your finger. Aim for the side of your finger. Fingertips are a poor choice because they tend to have more nerve endings, says Nadine Uplinger, director of the Gutman Diabetes Institute at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia. "We teach people to monitor on the sides of their fingers, not down by the knuckle but up by the nail bed on the fleshy part and not on the tips," she says. "Another thing to do is pinch or put pressure on where you're going to test to seal it and that seems to minimize pain." Continue reading >>

Genteel: A Pain-free Lancet Device

The Genteel lancet device is one of the newest lancet devices seeking FDA approval. This new lancet device claims to be pain-free and designed to be used in areas other than just fingertips, giving your fingertips a little vacation from all the pricking and bleeding for the price of $129 (currently on sale for $99). It’s being targeted especially at children with type 1 diabetes, explaining they even feel the shape resembles a kid-friendly “Magic Marker.” Within moments of opening the box, however, I was concerned merely by the sight of this new device. While it’s certainly more high-tech than the first lancet device ever created, it still left me feeling as though I’d been transported back in time because of both its look and feel and function. How it works: The device comes with a set of 6 rubber tips that are interchangeable to adjust the depth in which the device presses into the skin. It uses a traditional lancet, anything with a square base. The user must set-up the device before each use by pushing the very long plunger into place. The user will then press the rubber tipped end of the device into any area with a little bit of plump tissue (palm, fingertip, forearm, etc.). Press the trigger button and wait 2 to 8 seconds as the device creates a suctioned vacuum around the circular area inside the rubber tip where a drop of blood should eventually occur. If there isn’t enough vacuum suction created, a red line on the metal plunger will be revealed and you have to try again. The device was created by Dr. Christopher Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs has an in-depth background in biomedical engineering and automobile ignition systems, and claims to be 4x faster than other lancets, reduce pain through it’s vacuum suction, and blocks the pain signals normally causing di Continue reading >>

Gestational Diabetes: Checking Your Blood Sugar

Introduction If you have gestational diabetes, you need to know when your blood sugar level is outside the target range. Fortunately, you can see what your blood sugar level is anywhere and anytime by using a home blood sugar meter. Knowing your blood sugar level helps you treat low or high blood sugar before it becomes an emergency. Knowing your blood sugar level also helps you know how exercise and food affect your blood sugar and how much insulin to take (if you take insulin). Checking your blood sugar helps you feel more in control of your diabetes during your pregnancy. How to test your blood sugar Here is a simple way to monitor your blood sugar at home. Before you start testing your blood sugar: Link testing your blood sugar with other daily activities, such as right after preparing breakfast or right before your afternoon walk. This will help you establish the habit of self-testing. Gather the supplies to test your blood sugar. Keep your supplies together so that you can do a test quickly if you need to. Check your equipment before doing each test. Check the expiration date on your testing strips. If you use test strips after the expiration date, you may not get accurate results. Many meters don't need a code from the test strips, but some will. If your meter does, make sure the code numbers on the testing strips bottle match the numbers on your meter. If the numbers do not match, follow the instructions that come with your meter for changing the code numbers. Most manufacturers recommend that you use your meter's sugar control solution the first time you use the meter, each time you open a new bottle of test strips, and whenever you need to check the accuracy of the meter's results. Follow the instructions that came with your meter for using the control solutio Continue reading >>

New Glucose Monitoring System Takes The Finger Prick Out Of Diabetes

A fingertip prick and diabetes – they go hand-in-hand. But a new device approved by the FDA is taking all that away. Now a simple scan could give diabetics the information they need, without the constant poking. “Probably about five times to six times a day is what I'm doing,” said Dale Schempp of Sioux Falls. That’s how many times Schempp checks his blood sugars. He was diagnosed with diabetes more than 30 years ago and has seen many advancements in diabetes management. “It used to be it was just shots. I did the shots up to five times a day and they tried to get me to go into the insulin pump, and the pump, once I got started on that – has changed everything,” said Schempp. It’s estimated more than 30 million Americans, like Dale, are living with diabetes. The majority have type 2 diabetes. Another 80 million have pre-diabetes. Endocrinologist Dr. Richard S. Crawford with Avera Medical Group says he sees those numbers increasing in South Dakota. “We’re seeing younger people with type 2 diabetes -- which is something we usually think of older people getting, tends to go more with being overweight, sedentary lifestyle, poor diets -- but both type 1 and type 2 are actually increasing,” said Dr. Crawford. A healthy diet, getting enough exercise and monitoring your blood sugar is key to managing diabetes. “You have to test blood sugars and historically we've done that through finger-stick testing. And then you have to take medications on a regular schedule and that includes taking pills at the right time, eating the correct meals, taking insulin, not forgetting your shots and really having a comprehensive approach to get better control of the diabetes,” said Dr. Crawford. While the prevalence of diabetes is growing, the technology to manage it is Continue reading >>

Fda Approves A Blood Glucose Monitoring Device That Doesn’t Require Finger Pricks

The U.S. FDA announced it approves the glucose monitoring device by Abbott Laboratories, aimed for adults with diabetes. This device allows millions of people with diabetes check their blood glucose levels without pricking their fingers. The name of the product is FreeStyle Libre Flash. What it does is reducing the need for the painful and inconvenient fingerstick testing by inserting a small sensor wire below the surface of the skin. This wire measures and monitors blood sugar levels continuously. You can wear the device on the back of the upper arm for up to ten days if you are 18 years of age or older. Vicky Assardo, the Abbott spokeswoman, says the launching of the product will probably be before the end of the year. So, they won’t disclose information about the price until then, even though according to Assardo it’ll be around $69, which is the price in Europe. Also, each 14-day lasting sensor will be around $69, that is, before insurance. However, the sensor will last for 10 days in the U.S. The senior vice president of Abbott’s diabetes care says the aim to make the device as affordable as possible. Comparison with the Standard Diabetes Devices Back in the days, people with diabetes measured their blood sugar levels almost a dozen times a day by pricking their fingers. Today, Medtronic Plc’s iPRO2 Professional, DexCom Inc’s G5 Mobile, and other advanced continuous glucose monitoring devices have sensors to measure glucose readings. But, they still need fingertip testing 2-4 times daily for maximum accuracy. What’s more, most people with diabetes do not measure their blood sugar as often as they should. This is due to the discomfort and pain caused by these tests. According to Abbott, most diabetes patients test blood sugar levels less than 3 times dai Continue reading >>

Lancets & Lancing Devices For Diabetes: Read This Before You Buy

Lancets are small needles that are used to prick the skin to obtain a blood sample. Many lancets can be used with a lancing device that helps to make it more effective and less painful, however they can be used without one by just sticking the skin with the needle. Once a small blood sample is available, it can easily be put into a machine to run a test. As you can see from the image above, there are many different brands of lancets available. There are a few tests that can be done using a small drop of blood that the lancet provides. For people with diabetes, they can easily check their blood sugar levels. Using a glucometer, which is the machine that tests the blood sugar, they can quickly find out if their sugar is at a good number or not. How do the lancet and the lancing device work together Although the lancet can be used alone to get a sample, it is much easier to use the lancing device along with it. The device provides a quick “punch” of the needle into the skin to make an effective and less painful stick. OneTouch, which is a popular brand of diabetic supplies, has a device that is easy to use. Each brand’s device will be a little different, but the general idea is the same. The following steps demonstrate how to use the OneTouch device. Step 1. Always wash your hands before checking your blood sugar. If there is bacteria on your hands and it enters into your blood, it can cause a major infection! First, take the cap off of the device and insert a new lancet with the safety cap still on. (If it is removed first, you can poke yourself!) When you insert the lancet, do not twist it around. It should easily fit. See the image below for a better description. Step 2. Take the safety guard off of the lancet to expose the needle. This can easily be done by simpl Continue reading >>

Lancets And Lancing

Tweet Lancing is an essential part of successful diabetes management for many diabetics. Lancets are the small, sharp objects that are used to prick the skin. This piercing of the skin allows you to draw a small drop of blood to the surface in order to test blood glucose levels using a blood glucose monitor and blood glucose test strips. Lancets Although some diabetics prick themselves with a lancet, most prefer to use a special lancing device. Lancing devices are designed to firmly grip the lancet, and are operated by simply clicking a button. Depending on how thick-skinned the patient is, different settings may be required. Lancets are designed to only be used once, and then disposed of in a safe way. Using a lancet just once will make it more blunt, and therefore more painful to use. There are a variety of ways of getting rid of used lancets safely as they can carry infection. Some companies sell sharps boxes, and GPs can even prescribe sharps bins to dispose of lancets safely. A Diabetes UK initiative called on all professionals to work together to ensure lancet disposal was made easier. There are a variety of different lancets and lancing devices on the market, not all of which fit together. Some companies make universal lancing devices, but this is not the case for every manufacturer. In some doctors’ surgeries, professional lancing devices can be used by many patients. Are all lancets the same size? Lancets vary considerably in size, some are smaller and therefore more appropriate for children. These same lancets may not draw an appropriate amount of blood for adults. Do some lancets hurt more than others? Some companies claim that their lancet or lancing device is less painful to use, but this isn’t necessarily always the case. Tweet Type 2 diabetes mellitus Continue reading >>

A Diabetes Monitor That Spares The Fingers

For the past year and a half I’ve been buying a medical device from Italy that has improved my life immeasurably. It wasn’t easy: I roped in a good friend who had moved to Milan to buy the device and ship it to me because it wasn’t yet available in the States. And it was expensive: over $1,600 a year. But my black-market purchase helps me manage my Type 1 diabetes without the need to draw blood from my callused fingers 10-plus times a day to track my glucose level, a ritual that had been an unpleasant part of my life for decades. The FreeStyle Libre, made by Abbott, is a flash glucose sensor that allows people with diabetes to view our blood sugar every minute of the day without a single finger prick. While there are similar devices on the market — called continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs — the Libre is the least invasive one I’ve seen. It takes readings from a sensor under the skin but doesn’t require finger sticks for calibration, and is about the size of a quarter and as thick as two. And it’s helping me keep my diabetes under better control. There have been some challenges: The Milanese UPS store wanted a letter detailing exactly what was in the box. My credit card’s fraud department called (“Yes, the charge for $365 from Milan is mine”). So I was thrilled to learn that the Food and Drug Administration recently approved the sale of the Libre in the United States, a decision that may help some of the 29 million Americans with diabetes. The Libre I buy from Italy has a self-adhesive, waterproof white sensor that sticks to my arm for 14 days. It took some trial and error to get used to it. One sensor flipped off from over-aggressive toweling at the gym; another came loose after a backpack strap nicked it. Finally, rather than the spot on my out Continue reading >>

Diabetics Can Now Test Their Blood Sugar Levels With A Mobile Device

People living with diabetes have to prick their fingers to check their blood sugar levels anywhere from one to seven times a day. But now, there’s a better way to monitor blood sugar. This week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first at-home, needleless system for continuously monitoring glucose for people with diabetes. The system, called FreeStyle Libre Flash, and manufactured by the DC-based Abbott Laboratories, allows users to forgo finger-pricking for up to 10 days at a time. The Flash is essentially a small, circular plastic sensor that sits on top of the skin and detects blood sugar from a small wire that goes under the skin beneath the sensor. People can insert themselves using an applicator that works sort of like a rubber stamp. Once people have applied the sensor on their arms, they can wave a mobile device a little smaller than a smartphone in front of it to read glucose levels. It takes about 12 hours for the wire to become adjusted to the person’s body, but afterward the device takes continuous data that tracks blood sugar over time for over a week. Afterward, you peel the sensor off slowly, and apply a new one. Ideally, this would encourage people with diabetes to check their blood sugar more routinely, Jared Watkin, senior vice president of Abbott’s Diabetes Care unit, told Reuters. Often, people will forgo checking their sugar levels as often as they should because finger pricking can be such a nuisance. Right now it’s only marketed for adults, but the company hopes to receive approval for children under 18 as well. Abbott already has one needle-free blood sugar monitoring system available for the public called the FreeStyle Libre Pro. However, users have to make a special trip to the doctor’s office to have the wire placed und Continue reading >>

5 Must-have Tools To Measure Your Blood Sugar

If you've just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you'll need some supplies to help you manage your blood sugar. These include: Blood Sugar Meter This device, also called a glucose meter or monitor, measures how much sugar (or glucose) is in a drop of your blood. It can tell you when your sugar is too low or too high. Talk to your doctor about what to do in those situations. Glucose meters can also show you how diet, exercise, stress, sickness, and your medications affect blood sugar. “Get the [one] that you feel comfortable and confident using,” says Jane Seley, a diabetes nurse practitioner at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Make sure the screen is large enough to read. And choose a meter that requires less than a microliter blood sample. “It’s much more comfortable,” Seley says. “You don’t have to stick yourself as deep. It’s much easier to be successful, and you won’t waste as many test strips.” Consider a meter that can download your readings to your smartphone, tablet, or computer. “You can see charts of how your blood sugars differ throughout the day,” Seley says. “It helps you make better decisions about things like when to exercise and what to have for breakfast.” Test Strips, Lancets, and Lancet Device Each small plastic strip contains chemicals that convert the sugar in your blood into an electric current that your meter can read. Wash your hands first, then put a test strip into your meter. Prick the side of your fingertip with a small needle called a lancet. The lancet fits inside a lancet device. About the shape and size of a pen, it’s spring-loaded to help you prick your finger easily with just the right amount of pressure. You then squeeze a single drop of blood onto the strip, and your meter measures the sugar. If you’r Continue reading >>

New Device For Diabetes Eliminates The Need For Painful Finger Pricking

Source:Supplied AUSTRALIAN adults with diabetes now have the option of using a new glucose monitoring device, which eliminates the need for regular finger pricking. The system, which has been available in Europe for several years, involves a small sensor the size of a 20 cent coin worn on the upper arm for 14 days. Many diabetics have to draw blood and test their blood glucose levels up to 12 times a day. Instead of doing that, they can now scan the sensor and get a reading in less than a second. The Abbotts FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System also displays an eight-hour history and a trend arrow showing the direction the glucose is heading. The device will make life easier for people living with diabetes who use insulin, whether type 1 or type 2, said Diabetes Australia spokeswoman Renza Scibilia. Source:Supplied “Finger pricking is painful, inconvenient and intrusive, which is often why people don’t check their levels as often as they ideally should,” she told news.com.au. “It’s very different from just wearing a device on your arm and scanning it.” The disposable, water-resistant sensor needs to be replaced every 14 days and costs $95, while the reader is the same price. The Freestyle Libre can be purchased online via the official website. Ashley Ng, 26, from Melbourne, has been testing the device for two weeks and is a big fan. “I didn’t realise how much a burden finger-pricking was until I stopped,” Ms Ng told news.com.au. “Normally I’d prick myself 6-10 times a day. It’s something that I’ve always lived with and gotten used to, and now I don’t have to do it. She said she felt no pain when inserting the sensor into her arm. “The first couple of days I was like ‘Is this for real?’ I was feeling really great. My fingers f Continue reading >>

Diabetes System Continuously Checks Glucose Without A Finger Prick

Thanks to a system developed by Dexcom, a developer of technology for diabetes, diabetics won’t need to prick their fingers anymore to check their glucose levels. The Dexcom G5 is a glucose monitoring system that uses a sensor, a transmitter, and the user’s smartphone to continuously monitor the user’s glucose levels. “The Dexcom G5 Mobile system is the only continuous glucose monitor that the FDA has approved to replace finger stick blood glucose measurements when making diabetes treatment decisions,” says Jake Leach, senior vice president of research and development at Dexcom. A hair-like, stainless steel needle is inserted into the abdomen and releases the sensor, a flexible, metal wire with proprietary embedded membranes. After insertion, the needle is removed while the sensor is left behind. “These membranes are highly biocompatible and include glucose oxidase enzyme technology, which allows the sensor to accurately measure glucose” Leach says. "It undergoes testing to ensure biocompatibility." The coding also manages the amount of glucose that goes to the sensor enzyme, allowing consistency with the amount of glucose being transported. The sensor is connected to a thin, patch-like transmitter with two electrodes that use a 12-amp signal. As soon as the transmitter snaps with the sensor, it begins to function. The sensor comes out when the patch is removed. The transmitter is similar to a shell, designed with a polymer resin using a custom molding process. It was designed without a seal so it cannot be opened, which keeps it waterproof. Since the transmitter is not disposable, the batteries, two silver oxide coin cells, cannot be replaced. The transmitter, which runs on low power to ensure only its frequency is picked up, should be replaced after thre Continue reading >>

Why Is Blood Sugar Testing Important?

Measuring blood sugar (glucose) levels at home has become a cornerstone of diabetes care. Measuring blood sugar regularly can: Help you know if your blood sugar is within your target range. Staying in a healthy range can help prevent or delay the long-term complications of high blood sugar, such as heart, kidney, eye, nerve, and circulation problems Help you know if your blood sugar is too low or too high and treatment is needed Help you know how much and which type of medicine to use Prevent low blood sugar at night Help you manage illness at home Let you know if you need to do a ketone test (if you have type 1 diabetes) Help you understand the effects of certain foods, exercise, and stress on your blood sugar Help your healthcare provider know if changes in your treatment are needed What supplies are needed? Doing a blood test requires: Finger-pricking (lancing) device: A finger-pricking device (called a lancet) is used to get a drop of blood for the test. The lancet can often be set at different depths for different people. Adjustable lancets are good for young children and tender skin and for when you do not need the lancet to go deep. Remember to change the lancet every day. A sharp and clean lancet helps prevent injury and infection. Blood glucose meter (glucometer): Most people use blood glucose meters to test blood sugar. Not all meters measure in the same way, so the results from different meters are not always the same. It doesn't matter which type of meter you choose as long as you always use the same meter. Bring the meter to each clinic visit. Your healthcare provider can get a record of the test results from the meter. Some features to look for in a meter include: Accuracy: Make sure the meter is accurate in the environment where you live, for example, in Continue reading >>

Abbott Wins Fda Approval For Diabetes Device That Doesn't Require Routine Finger Pricks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, which already is sold in 41 other countries. Abbott Laboratories has gained clearance to start selling in the U.S. the first continuous glucose monitor that does not require people with diabetes to routinely prick their fingers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adults, which already is sold in 41 other countries. The device consists of a small sensor, about the size of a quarter, that’s worn on the back of the upper arm to continuously track glucose levels. The sensor, unlike other wearable sensors, does not require patients to prick their fingers for calibration. Patients can place a hand-held reader near the device to see their current glucose levels, trends, patterns and where those levels might be headed. They can then use those readings to figure out how much insulin to take to manage their diabetes. The device has not yet been approved for use by children in the U.S. but Abbott hopes to gain approval from the FDA. The company is not disclosing pricing information until it gets closer to launching the product in the U.S., which will likely be before the end of the year, said Abbott spokeswoman Vicky Assardo. But she said in an email the price will be “very similar” to the price in Europe, where the reader costs about $69, and each sensor, which lasts about 14 days, also costs about $69, before insurance. In the U.S., the sensor will last about 10 days. “We intentionally designed the product to make it as affordable as possible,” said Jared Watkin, Abbott senior vice president of diabetes care. In the U.S., continuous glucose monitors are often covered Continue reading >>

Apple’s Needleless Blood Sugar Tracker Has An Uphill Battle In Front Of It

Rumors are flying that Apple is developing some kind of wearable that would continuously track the user’s blood sugar without breaking their skin. For people with diabetes, this would be a huge improvement over the somewhat invasive or downright painful options they currently rely on. But experts warn that if the rumors are true, Apple will be facing a scientific and technological battlefield littered with decades of other companies’ failures. If Apple is chasing a needleless blood sugar monitor, it wouldn’t be that surprising. (Apple declined to comment.) After all, the market would be massive. About 30 million Americans have diabetes, a disease caused when there’s too much sugar, or glucose, in the blood. People with diabetes have to carefully titrate their food intake, or even inject the hormone insulin in order to keep their blood sugar from spiking or dropping to dangerous levels. So regularly measuring blood glucose is key. Right now, it’s also unpleasant. People with diabetes have to prick their fingers to draw blood, or wear a monitor that inserts a tiny tube beneath their skin to continuously measure glucose in the fluid between cells (the same fluid that spills out when you pop a blister). So a needleless device — preferably one that continuously monitors glucose levels and spits them out in real time — would be a huge upgrade. “That is the holy grail,” says Eric Topol, the director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute who also sits on the board of glucose monitor manufacturer Dexcom. And that’s why so many before Apple have made the attempt. Google tried to develop a contact lens to detect glucose in tears, but ever since pharmaceutical giant Novartis licensed the technology in 2014, the project’s gone quiet. (A spokesperson fo Continue reading >>