True Metrix Test Strips

When you purchase your True Metrix Blood Glucose System, you'll need to have an ample supply of True Metrix Test Strips. Designed to provide accurate blood glucose results in as little as 4 seconds, True Metrix blood glucose test strips contain a complex circuit that can measure the electrons from glucose circulating in your blood sample. It does this by measuring the electrical current these electrons generate, allowing a quick and accurate measurement of blood-glucose concentration. True Metrix glucose test strips (06-R3051-xx) create this current with a complex chemical reaction in which a thin layer of chemicals beneath the testing window combines with the glucose present in the blood, creating electricity. This allows for fast and accurate test results, but also means that each test strip can only be used once. Also available are True Metrix Pro test strips (06-R3051P-xx), exclusively for use in a True Metrix Pro device.

The History of Blood Glucose Testing

Blood glucose tests play a key role in helping someone with diabetes manage their condition on a day-to-day basis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 10 Americans have some form of diabetes. Plus, 1 in 4 of those don't even know they have it. Monitoring blood sugar levels is the primary treatment for preventing complications due to diabetes.

The first known mentions of diabetes appear in 1552 B.C. during the 3rd Egyptian Dynasty on papyrus describing an illness that resulted in frequent urination. Later in the first century A.D., diabetes received its official name by the Greek Physician Aretaeus, deriving the name from the Greek word for siphon. By the middle ages, diabetes received the colloquial name, "The Pissing Evil" and was diagnosed by tasting the urine of those afflicted to see if it was sweet. Reports claim urine tested this way tasted like honey, giving diabetes the subterm Mellitus, the Latin word for honey.

The first identifiable link between diet and diabetes happened in 1870 during the Siege of Paris of the Franko-Prussian war. Apollinaire Bouchardat, a physician at the time, noticed the absence of glucose in the urine of diabetic patients during food rationing. Around the same time, German medical student Paul Langerhans discovered Pancreatic islets, the structures responsible for producing insulin.

In 1889, German scientists Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering discovered the Pancreas' roll in digestion and its relation to diabetes. In 1921, physician Fredrick Banting, assistant Charles Best, and biochemist Bertram Collip discovered and purified insulin. This discovery led to Banting's subsequent nomination and receiving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Later in 1956, a doctor by the name of Leland Clark published a paper on the oxygen electrode. Using this research, he later invented the world's first glucose enzyme electrode in 1962. Shortly after in 1970, doctor Anton H. Clemens created the first blood glucose meter which worked by testing the intensity of light through a strip that would react with glucose in the blood. This device was later introduced to the market in 1981 as the first of many blood glucose meters.

Most glucose meters today don't use Clemen's method of measurement because of its longer test time and a higher probability of delivering less accurate results. Instead, most blood glucose meters use an electro-chemical method as described above. This method is much faster, more accurate, and requires less blood.

Tips for Storing Test Strips

Test strips are a vital part of any electrochemical blood glucose test. These strips are delicate and can easily be made less effective. However, there are things you can do to best keep your strips in working order for as long as possible.

Store Your Strips in a Safe Place

Glucose test strips are made to be relatively inexpensive. As a result, they are extremely delicate. If a test strip is damaged in any way, it needs to be thrown out immediately as it will not be able to give you an accurate result. Even damaged bottles can be an issue. If damage occurs to your test strip bottle, moisture in the air will be in contact with your test strips, decreasing their accuracy. This is why it's important that you store your test strip bottles away from places where children or pets can get ahold of them, preferably in a location where they won't be easily knocked from a high height.

Follow the Instructions For Your Device When Performing a Test

One of the easiest ways you can save test strips is by following the instructions for a test with your given device. Since test strips are single-use and disposable, they are fragile and rendered obsolete if handled in a way contrary to their design. Despite differing instructions for different meters, several practices are universal amongst all electrochemical test strip meters. First, do not put blood on a test strip before inserting it into the meter. This will start the reaction the meter measures for reading without recording it. This practice can also damage the meter. Next, don't rub your blood sample into the test strip. This will affect the chemical reaction and can provide an inaccurate result. Another thing you'll want to avoid is adding more blood to a test strip than is necessary. This will also affect the reaction and the following results. Your meter will let you know when enough of a blood sample has been collected for a proper result by changing the digital display. In the case of the True Metrix, it will show a screen with dashes across it.

Be Aware of Your Test Strips' Expiration Date

Every bottle of test strips comes with an expiration date. This is important to note because expired strips may not provide accurate results. To avoid wasting strips, there are several things you can do. First, don't open your strip bottles before you are ready to use them. This is because test strips, once opened, will only provide accurate results for 90 days with most electro-chemical strips. Because of this, don't combine strips from different bottles. Another thing you can do to preserve your strips marks the date that the bottle was first opened on the bottle itself.

Product Features and Benefits

• Disposable Test Strips for Accurate Results
• Provides Results in as Little as 4 Seconds
• For Use with the True Metrix and True Metrix Pro
• Not Made with Natural Rubber Latex
• Includes Instructions for Use

Product Specifications

• Manufacturer: Trividia Health
• Item Numbers: 06-R3051-xx, 06-R3051P-01
• Item Count per Bottle: 50, 100
• Application: Blood Glucose Test Strips
• Sample Size: 1/2 Microliter

Manuals and Documents

•    CDC Diabetic Statistics Report: contains facts about diabetes statistics.
•    True Metrix Manual contains instructions for using the product with True Metrix standard meter.
•    Product Specification Sheet contains product information.
•    Product Safety Data Sheet: contains safety information.

 

 

Product Videos

 

How to Test Blood Sugar (4:54 minutes)