Change to Accu-chek test strips

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ukjohn

ukjohn

Much Missed Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I wonder how many people know about this. Accu-chek test strips now measure blood plasma rather than blood glucose, blood plasma readings are about 11% higher than blood glucose readings. So, this means that if your plasma reading is 4 mmols then that equates to about 3.5 mmols in blood glucose. I recieved this info in a news letter from IDDT ( Insulin Dependent Diabetic Trust ) When IDDT wrote to Roche as to how we know which strips are which, they replied that on the top of the carton containing the tub, there will be a yellow circle with black stripes or a green square, this will denote that these strips measure blood plasma, and that information is also on the important new information sheet inside the carton.

I have just checked my supply of strips, 6 boxes, they all have the yellow circle on them and are manufactured in the USA.

Hope this info is of use to others.

John.
 
I'm glad you mentioned this as I noticed on Ebay that some of the boxes looked different. For the last month or so my box of test strips has contained a bright yellow leaflet on top - well it's white but some of the writing is highlighted in yellow. It says that the strips have been modified so that there is no longer any interference with maltose. I didn't take any notice of this and it was only when I looked at the ones on Ebay that I read results could be 11% higher. Reading your post I have now looked at the full info leaflet with the strips and it has lots of info about the 11% higher thing that I don't understand. Can anyone explain to me in simple language? If I get a reading of say 7 now does that mean I could be hypo or not? I'm sorry but my brain can't cope with new info anymore. xx
 
thanks for that john , i just checked my boxes and they have a green square on.....although i was starting to wonder as i do feel hypo with a result of 4.0
 
Flutterby said:
I'm glad you mentioned this as I noticed on Ebay that some of the boxes looked different. For the last month or so my box of test strips has contained a bright yellow leaflet on top - well it's white but some of the writing is highlighted in yellow. It says that the strips have been modified so that there is no longer any interference with maltose. I didn't take any notice of this and it was only when I looked at the ones on Ebay that I read results could be 11% higher. Reading your post I have now looked at the full info leaflet with the strips and it has lots of info about the 11% higher thing that I don't understand. Can anyone explain to me in simple language? If I get a reading of say 7 now does that mean I could be hypo or not? I'm sorry but my brain can't cope with new info anymore. xx
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Flutterby...I wouldn't worry to much about it. I'm not to good at maths, but I think a reading of 7 would equate to roughly 6.2 mmol

John
 
This seems really stupid to me, why would they go back the way, we want a more accurate reading.........its must be cheaper for them to manufacture that way.............

Flutterby, you dont buy strips of the net do you? Being type 1 and all that!!
 
ukjohn said:
Flutterby...I wouldn't worry to much about it. I'm not to good at maths, but I think a reading of 7 would equate to roughly 6.2 mmol

John
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Thanks John, I suppose as you said originally it's when the lower numbers come up that we might need to just evaluate how we feel. Much appreciated.
 
If your Accuchek strips have a YELLOW CIRCLE they are the blood plasma variety (this change was made more than a year ago I think)

More recently (a month ago?) the strips were changed again as they were providing inaccurate results for peopole on medication with high maltose content. These strips have a GREEN SQUARE on the box. They also measure blood plasma so this change should not affect your bg readings.

Hope this helps
M
 
Mine don't have a yellow circle, just a green square!! This is like some sort of weird aptitude test isn't it?!!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
If your Accuchek strips have a YELLOW CIRCLE they are the blood plasma variety (this change was made more than a year ago I think)

More recently (a month ago?) the strips were changed again as they were providing inaccurate results for peopole on medication with high maltose content. These strips have a GREEN SQUARE on the box. They also measure blood plasma so this change should not affect your bg readings.

Hope this helps
M
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If they were changed more than a year ago to plasma readings, then why is it only in the past month the yellow circle has appeared on the box. So are you know suggesting that those with the yellow circle give the wrong reading and those with a green square are the correct ones. I'm even more confused now
 
Mine are made in USA and as I say only have the green square however, in the blurb on the leaflet it says "These strips are calibrated to deliver plasma-like results.............please note: if you previously used test strips that delivered blood glucose concentrations based on whole blood, your meter now displays results that are approximately 11% higher. Accu-chec aviva test strips previously delivered results which referred to whole blood"

But as to when this info was first added to the leaflet I don't know.
 
Flutterby, you dont buy strips of the net do you? Being type 1 and all that!![/QUOTE]

I've been looking online as struggling to make 200 strips last a month at the moment due to problems following the stroke. My GP has been ok about it so far but he's not happy and it wont be long before he kicks up about it. The trouble is that I get tired and dizzy from the stroke but need to check I'm not hypo. I'm also on a new insulin and some days are not well enough to go out alone so my exercise levels vary massively. I'm thinking if I bought a few online to ease the situation it would take some of the stress off me.

Thanks for asking, sorry to go off topic! 😉
 
Grrr, I could do without this complication. My doc wants my blood glucose levels to always be under 6 before meals and in the morning. Once it has been consistently at this level I may be able to drop the gliclazide. My strips have this green stripey square. Fasting levels in the morning are usually just over 6 and before meals vary from in the 4's to sometimes under 7 but more often than not around 5.8. Because with these strips I am not always under 6 I haven't stopped taking the gliclazide yet. So am I right in thinking 6.5 is actually going to be under 6 in blood glucose terms?
 
I don't know UKJohn. :(

I was really confused by your post because my boxes (in the SouthWest) have been yellow/plasma for ages. I'm guessing at over a year but I really can't remember.

This is from www.accu-chek.co.uk
Accu‑Chek? test strips have changed to plasma calibration

Blood glucose meter systems can be calibrated for whole blood or for plasma, depending on the supplier. Accu-Chek blood glucose meter systems have until recently displayed blood glucose levels based on whole blood.

Throughout 2009 we gradually changed the Accu-Chek strips to plasma calibration to bring ourselves into line with the international standard.
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I did read about the strip change and as far as I know the green square (still plasma) ones are the newer as I only came across the problem with maltose recently but it seems to date from over a year ago. I first read it here:

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1251963433/

The US FDA warned against some strips which gave false-high readings and lead to patients giving 'corrections' they didn't need 😱
 
It's been about year since the yellow strips been available that's about how long I be having mine, the green one's I had my first box through about a month or two back...

The difference isn't something to get too hung up about, as in reality unless you banging out some high BG's then there isn't an over lot difference.. The lower the number the less difference there is...

If you are feeling shakey at 4mmol/l on the plasma strips, you are going to be somethig like 3.8 ish or a slightly lower, but there again it could just be your hypo warning kicking in...

It's those who are struggling with high numbers such as 10mmol/l + that the difference may be a problem
 
I'm not hung up on it and am generally pleased with my levels but if my meter is showing 6.5 and that means actually I'm 5 something it might just mean I can stop taking the gliclazide sooner rather than later. So can some clever mathsy person tell me what a reading of 6.5 with these strips actually is please?
 
From http://www.accu-chek.co.uk/gb/news/14april10.html
Your reference table

Plasma-calibrated blood glucose levels are on average 11% higher than ones calibrated using whole blood. Blood Glucose control is shown correctly in both cases, only the “scale” is different.

Conversion of levels measured in mmol/l
Whole blood = Plasma
3.1 = 3.4 – 3.6
3.3 = 3.6 – 3.8
3.9 = 4.3 – 4.5
4.2 = 4.6 – 4.8
4.4 = 4.8 – 5.1
4.7 = 5.2 – 5.4
5.0 = 5.5 – 5.8
5.3 = 5.8 – 6.1
5.6 = 6.2 – 6.4
5.8 = 6.4 – 6.7
6.1 = 6.7 – 7.0
6.4 = 7.0 – 7.4
6.7 = 7.4 – 7.7
6.9 = 7.6 – 7.9
7.2 = 7.9 – 8.3
7.5 = 8.3 – 8.6
7.8 = 8.6 – 9.0
8.3 = 9.1 – 9.5
8.9 = 9.8 – 10.2
10.0 = 11.0 – 11.5
11.1 = 12.2 – 12.8
13.9 = 15.3 – 16.0
16.7 = 18.4 – 19.2
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HTH
M
 
That's great, thank you. Well it seems as though I may be fairly consistently in 5's and so perhaps when I see nursie again I'll be able to come off the Glic. Smashing.🙂
 
I was soooo confused reading this thread! Then I realised I use OneTouch Ultra strips...
 
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