Patent ID: 8449758

Claim:
A method for determining a concentration of glucose in a sample, comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a sample with an electrochemical sensor comprising: (i) a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being configured and arranged for insertion into a sensor reader; (ii) a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode, wherein the first and second electrodes are separated by a closest distance in a range of 25 to 1000 μm; (iii) a sample chamber comprising the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode, wherein the sample chamber is sized to contain a volume of no more than about 1 μL of the sample; and (iv) a glucose-responsive enzyme and a redox mediator disposed in the sample chamber; (b) applying a first potential between the first and second electrodes to determine when the sample chamber is beginning to fill with sample; (c) applying a second potential between the first and third electrodes to determine when the sample chamber is substantially filled with sample; (d) applying a third potential between the first and second electrodes to electrolyze the glucose, thereby generating a glucose signal; and (e) determining the concentration of the glucose using the glucose signal.