Dipping procedure for blood glucose determination with Dextrostix and the Eyetone reflectance meter. Assessment of a...

A dipping procedure for blood glucose determination with the Dextrastix-Eyetone system has been evaluated. The procedure involves the immersion of the Dextrostix reagent area for 1 min in a tube of whole blood followed by wash, blotting and reading as in the regular procedure. Sixty-five blood samples, covering a wide glucose concentration range, were estimated for their glucose content in random order both by the dipping procedure and a conventional Dextrostix-Eyetone procedure. An almost perfect agreement between the two methods was found, the coefficient of correlation being 0.99 and the regression line very close to the ideal line. The presence of a Dextrostix reagent area in the blood was found to bring about glycolysis. Except at high blood glucose levels, this glycolysis, however, was insignificant if the strip was correctly removed after 1 min. The dipping procedure overcomes the main technical problem of conventional procedures: the inconsistency of the drop application on the reagent area. As it is easy to perform and a reliable alternative to conventional procedures, it is recommendable in all cases where blood samples are available.