Laboratory evaluation of the Glucocard blood glucose test meter

The Glucocard (Kyoto Daiichi Kagaku) blood glucose meter is designed for self-monitoring of blood glucose concentrations in capillary blood through use of an electrochemical test strip. Evaluated in this laboratory, the Glucocard had CVs of 4.6%, 6.6%, and 3.5% at blood glucose concentrations of 2.4, 4.1, and 18.9 mmol/L, respectively. The meter's response varied linearly with blood glucose concentration between 2.2 and 27.8 mmol/L. Hemolysis, urate, ascorbate, and acetaminophen interfered by > 5%. Different hematocrits, in the range 0.20-0.70, did not affect the measured glucose concentration. Comparison with glucose results measured in whole blood with a NOVA Stat Profile 5 instrument yielded the following: Glucocard = 0.898 NOVA--0.184 (r = 0.995). The main advantages of the Glucocard are its small sample volume (5 microL), wide linear range, and fully automated sample-handling steps, which reduce user-related variability.