Faced with a disease such as diabetes mellitus, the patient has to independently adjust the glucose level( often say "sugar level", which is not quite right) in the blood. In order to do this correctly, before the introduction of insulin or another drug, the specific amount of glucose in the blood must be measured with sufficient accuracy.
If earlier it could be done only in the laboratory, then today the patient can make all necessary measurements independently at home. It will help him in this small device, called a glucometer.
The choice of these devices is quite wide. An unprepared buyer can not immediately decide which glucometer to choose and buy. Moreover, "every kulik" praises his glucometer in every way. We tried to objectively evaluate the devices from different manufacturers and highlight the best of them.
Bayer( Germany)
In the world of medical products and equipment, this company has long become a "trendsetter".The quality of its products is at the highest level and this tradition has never changed Bayer.
The Glucometer Contour TS can not be called affordable, its cost is far from everyone can afford. However, after having tried this device for measuring blood sugar at home, you will understand that its price is quite justified.
The company owns patents for many innovative solutions. One of them is improved sensor technology, thanks to which it was possible to achieve very high reliability of indications. In addition, the meter does not need to be re-encoded for each batch of test strips, which eliminates the errors that often occur at this stage.
The high cost of test strips is compensated for by an unusually long shelf life, which does not change even after the package is opened. For this reason, the Bayer glucometer is simply indispensable in case of infrequent measurements, because the test strips of glucometers of other manufacturers, after opening the package, quickly lose their validity, which adversely affects the user's wallet.
Abbott Diabetes Care( UK)
Another highly respected company dedicated to the development and production of high-quality medical equipment. Its name - FreeStyle Papillon Mini - the meter from Abbot justifies completely: it's a very compact device. Anyone who constantly travels and is forced to wear a blood sugar meter with himself will appreciate this advantage. In addition, the device was not greedy at all: for correct analysis, only 0.3 μl of blood is needed. For this parameter, FreeStyle Papillon Mini is the best glucometer.
Another important advantage: if there is not enough blood in the test strip, the latter does not deteriorate, and the device does not begin the analysis, waiting for blood collection. This greatly saves the user's money.
Glucometer FreeStyle Papillon Mini itself reminds its owner that the time of analysis has come. In this case, it emits a beep. The effect of lowering the reliability of indications of factors, which include the level of oxygen or the presence of paracetamol in the patient's blood, is minimized. The expiration date indicated on the package does not depend on the date of its opening.
Diademics
Glucometers of this company are called Icheck. The device is calibrated for blood plasma, a special coding test strip is used to encode it. The appliance switches on automatically after the test strip has been installed, and also automatically switches off after a short time( 3 minutes).
This glucometer determines the specific amount of glucose in a very wide range, the memory of the device is capable of storing data about 180 measurements, and the special function can calculate the average value for one, two, three or four last weeks.
Thanks to a good configuration( with a new device the customer receives 50 lancets for piercing the skin), and also the long shelf life of the test strips( 90 days), the Icheck device falls into the category of the best glucometers.
Bionime
There are several glucometers in the product range of this company.
Bionime Rightest GM300
This device is manufactured in Taiwan, but it was developed in Switzerland, as indicated by the truly "Swiss" accuracy of its indications: for experimental measurements, the discrepancy with laboratory data did not exceed 3%.This quality of measurements was achieved thanks to the "advanced" technologies implemented in this model:
- application of electrodes with gilding, which are almost immune to interference and provide the best contact;
- removable strip port, replaceable with each new packaging, ensures high measurement accuracy throughout the life of the instrument;
- protects the test strip area from contact with hands, which can affect the accuracy of the readings.
Bionime Rightest GM500
From the above described model, this meter features a stylish design that makes it similar to an MP3 player. Control is carried out by one button.
The test strips of this manufacturer of glucometers keep the workable state for 18 months, and this figure does not depend on whether the package is opened or not. Calibration of these glucometers is performed by blood plasma.
TaiDoc
The Clever Chek TD-4209 manufactured in Taiwan features a large informative screen, calibrated for blood plasma and has very small dimensions and weights. If the customer wishes, the new device can be supplied without additional accessories included in the basic equipment. This capability makes this device the most affordable in comparison with the models of competitors. Low cost is also caused by a drawback: the shelf life of test strips is only 90 days.
It is hoped that in the near future, blood sampling will cease to be a necessity. The first experimental models of glucometers without test strips, the principle of which is laser or infrared scanning of the skin, have already appeared not only in the US and Europe, but also in Russia.
