Technical information

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Information for Professional Caregivers
Healthcare Professionals: Follow the infection control procedures appropriate for
your facility.
Decisions about whether to recommend alternative site testing (AST) should take into account the
motivation and knowledge level of the patient and his or her ability to understand the considerations
relative to diabetes and AST.
If you are considering recommending AST for your patients, you need to understand that there is
a potential for a significant difference between fingertip and alternative site blood glucose results.
The difference in capillary bed concentration and blood perfusion throughout the body can lead to
blood sample site-to-site differences in glucose results. These physiological effects vary between
individuals and can vary within a single individual based upon his or her behavior and relative
physical condition. Our studies involving alternative site testing of adults with diabetes show that
most persons will find their glucose level changes more quickly in the fingers’ blood than the
alternative sites’ blood.* This is especially important when glucose levels are falling or rising rapidly.
If your patient is used to making treatment decisions based upon fingerstick readings, he or she
should consider the delay, or lag-time, affecting the reading obtained from an alternative site.
*Data on file
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