Inaccurate Glucose Determination by Fingerstick in a Patient with Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: Tawee Tanvetyanon
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters5 November 2002Inaccurate Glucose Determination by Fingerstick in a Patient with Peripheral Arterial DiseaseTawee Tanvetyanon, MD, Michael D. Walkenstein, MD, and Antonio Marra, DOTawee Tanvetyanon, MDAlbert Einstein Medical Center; Philadelphia, PA 19141, Michael D. Walkenstein, MDAlbert Einstein Medical Center; Philadelphia, PA 19141, and Antonio Marra, DOAlbert Einstein Medical Center; Philadelphia, PA 19141Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-9-200211050-00031-w1 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Glucose determination by fingerstick may be inaccurate in patients with shock (1), severe hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (2), low or high hematocrits (3), extreme temperature (4), and low oxygen tension (5). We recently observed its remarkable inaccuracy in a patient with severe peripheral arterial disease.An 86-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with hypoglycemia. A glucose level of 1.94 mmol/L (35 mg/dL) had been determined by fingerstick at another hospital. He had peripheral arterial disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic renal insufficiency, and dementia. On examination, his radial and pedal pulse intensity was decreased. His ...References1. Atkin SH, Dasmahapatra A, Jaker MA, Chorost MI, Reddy S. Fingerstick glucose determination in shock. Ann Intern Med. 1991;114:1020-4. [PMID: 2029097] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Pointer JE. Glucose analysis: indications for ordering and alternatives to the laboratory. Ann Emerg Med. 1986;15:372-6. [PMID: 3511802] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Barreau PB, Buttery JE. Effect of hematocrit concentration on blood glucose value determined on Glucometer II. Diabetes Care. 1988;11:116-8. [PMID: 3383731] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Fazel A, Koutoubi Z, Sorg TB, Mehrotra B. Influence of sample temperature on reflectance photometry and electrochemical glucometer measurements. Diabetes Care. 1996;19:771-4. [PMID: 8799638] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Kurahashi K, Maruta H, Usuda Y, Ohtsuka M. Influence of blood sample oxygen tension on blood glucose concentration measured using an enzyme-electrode method. Crit Care Med. 1997;25:231-5. [PMID: 9034256] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Albert Einstein Medical Center; Philadelphia, PA 19141 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byUnreliable Fingerstick Glucose Measurement in Systemic SclerosisPerformance of a New Meter Designed for Assisted Monitoring of Blood Glucose and Point-of-Care TestingACROCYANOSIS AS A CAUSE OF PSEUDOHYPOGLYCEMIAAccuracy of Bedside Glucometry in Critically Ill Patients: Influence of Clinical Characteristics and Perfusion IndexPseudohypoglycemia: A cause for Unreliable Finger-Stick Glucose MeasurementsPseudohypoglycemia: a Cause for Unreliable Finger-Stick Glucose MeasurementsEmergency Management of Drug AbuseMedical Complications of Drug Abuse 5 November 2002Volume 137, Issue 9Page: W1KeywordsGlucoseHypoglycemiaOxygenPneumoniaPulse oximetryRenal arteriesRenal diseasesShockStable coronary artery diseaseTemperature ePublished: 5 November 2002 Issue Published: 5 November 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...