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Chapter 6: Technical Information ACCU-CHEK Customer Care Service Center 1-800-858-8072
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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 AST 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.
We strongly recommend that people considering AST understand the following:
•AST is not recommended during periods of rapid decreases or increases in blood glucose levels.
•AST is not recommended for people with a history of recurrent hypoglycemia, who suspect that their blood glucose is
extremely low, or who are unaware of hypoglycemic events.
•Studies show that AST results immediately before a meal and near bedtime are more similar to fingertip results.
•NEVER ignore symptoms that may be due to low or high blood glucose.
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