Microdot

[James McCann]

Microdot Glucose meters

Dear All, my name is James McCann and I am a 54 year old Cambridge trained engineer and I design the Microdot blood glucose strips at Cambridge Sensors Ltd. I just wanted to correct some misconceptions. In fact,we are the only UK owned manufacturer of this type of equipment and our factory is in Huntingdon. You are all welcome to come and visit us by calling us and stating you are a user of the equpment. All the research, development, manufacturing is carried out in Huntingdon, Cambs by our team of 50 people. Our meters are assembled for us by a German sub-contractor. Great care is taken by all of our staff to ensure that the prodcuts are of the highest quality, Please see www.cs-limited.co.uk. for further information.

Prior to founding Cambridge Sensors I co -founded another glucose sensing company called MediSense (now part of Abbott) and led a development team that developed the first electrochemical glucose strips -which formed the basis of the Optimum products.
At the moment Microdot will only measure glucose but we are in the process of extedning the range of tests to Ketones.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for clarifying things James.

 

[James McCann]

Further comments on Microdot+

Dear Northerner (and anyone else). You are more than welcome to visit us if you pass by Cambridge to see the strips being made (call 01480-482920). We are always appreciative of new comments/suggestions. For example, our meters automatically calculate a 14 day glucose average at the moment. Do people want 30, 60 and 90 day averaging as well? Our meters allow the user to manually input their insulin readings (number of units and type; date and time are automatically added); is this useful data to have available? Is insulin data entry useful? Many thanks for your comments. Best wishes for 2012.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Late to this thread, but just to respond to James...

Yes I would say longer averages are of value. 30-60-90 day ones can give you a ready reckoner of likely HbA1c using one of several conversion formulae, and even it you don't like any of those a few dodgy days can quickly throw out a 14 day average, while longer term ones are more robust. Comparing shorter and longer averages can help to calm anxiety after a dodgy week.

One request in on-meter data management would be the availability of SD. I've only had this recently but Standard Deviation allows me to assess whether a decent average is 'faked' by a lot of highs and lows or is genuiunely a reflection of decent control.

As for whether the ability to log carbs/insulin etc are worthwhile, that can often be a question of whether the data is easy to a) input and b) extract. A good system can reduce/remove the need for separate logging/diary. But if your meter is at the 'smarter' end it can be very frustrating to have all your lovingly logged results stuck in there without an easy (and preferably freely available) way of transferring to PC/Mac to be printed out/further examined - Roche's Expert falls foul of this. The ability to export results as .csv or similar flexible format via a USB cable included in the meter box would satisfy the nerdiest of d-analysts! If nothing else it means you can at least get a print-out to take to your clinic appointments 🙂

 

[ypauly]

Dear Northerner (and anyone else). You are more than welcome to visit us if you pass by Cambridge to see the strips being made (call 01480-482920). We are always appreciative of new comments/suggestions. For example, our meters automatically calculate a 14 day glucose average at the moment. Do people want 30, 60 and 90 day averaging as well? Our meters allow the user to manually input their insulin readings (number of units and type; date and time are automatically added); is this useful data to have available? Is insulin data entry useful? Many thanks for your comments. Best wishes for 2012.

I am so glad I popped in. My meter history is optium exeed, freedom freestyle lite and now the freedom insulinx.

I prefer the freedom products due to the small amounts of blood required but that isn't my problem
My problem is I am a driver and at some point I would like a class C on my lisence (will be hiring a nice motor home which at the moment only the wife can drive) means I should be using a meter with a memory function of at least 90 days
http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/Annex 3 changes to diabetes.aspx

None of the meters I use or know of will go beyond 30 days.


ETA A bus and lorry drivers should currently be using meters with 90 days memory but what meter do this? do yours?


I feel a mass cambridge meet coming on lol

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

The Accu-Chek Expert offers 90 day averages.

Alternatively many others allow downloads/export (Contour USB being one of the easier ones) so that you could store up a few 'sets' of results, I suppose...

 

[Vicsetter]

I am so glad I popped in. My meter history is optium exeed, freedom freestyle lite and now the freedom insulinx.

I prefer the freedom products due to the small amounts of blood required but that isn't my problem
My problem is I am a driver and at some point I would like a class C on my lisence (will be hiring a nice motor home which at the moment only the wife can drive) means I should be using a meter with a memory function of at least 90 days
http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/Annex 3 changes to diabetes.aspx

None of the meters I use or know of will go beyond 30 days.


ETA A bus and lorry drivers should currently be using meters with 90 days memory but what meter do this? do yours?


I feel a mass cambridge meet coming on lol

I am sure you are misunderstanding the requirement by the DVLA. You need to be able to recall 3 months (90 days) of readings not a 90 day average. Your freestyle lite records 400 readings. The Optium stores 450. So probably neither meter will do if you take much over 4 tests per day. The Contour USB records 2000 tests. I use a One-Touch Ultra Easy which does over 3000 tests and does all the averages up to and including 90 days. A 90 day average may be useful for comparison with your HBA1C but of no use for DVLA purposes.

 

[Robster65]

Would the DVLA not accept say a monthly download of daily BGs along with the 90 day average as a checksum to ensure no cheating ?

As per usual, beuarocrats have set a criterion without first ensuring it's possible to achieve. 🙄

If they are made aware that they can't have the impossible, then they must accept the next best thing. Or they'll have nothing to do.🙂

I agree on all other comments regarding meter features. The richer the data, the better.

Rob

 

[ypauly]

I am sure you are misunderstanding the requirement by the DVLA. You need to be able to recall 3 months (90 days) of readings not a 90 day average. Your freestyle lite records 400 readings. The Optium stores 450. So probably neither meter will do if you take much over 4 tests per day. The Contour USB records 2000 tests. I use a One-Touch Ultra Easy which does over 3000 tests and does all the averages up to and including 90 days. A 90 day average may be useful for comparison with your HBA1C but of no use for DVLA purposes.

I am not misunderstanding as I didn't say 90 day average I said 90 days of memeory. The link I posted explains what is required and the elctronically stored bit is the bit that's hard to achieve.

I think this is to prevent people just making up numbers and writing them down.

But I will be looking into the others you have posted. thanks

 

[Vicsetter]

I am not misunderstanding as I didn't say 90 day average I said 90 days of memeory. The link I posted explains what is required and the elctronically stored bit is the bit that's hard to achieve.

I think this is to prevent people just making up numbers and writing them down.

But I will be looking into the others you have posted. thanks

Sorry,you are quite right. Has anyone thought that as the requirement is all about driving, maybe you should keep a meter just for testing while driving, are would that not reduce your usage sufficiently? We won't really know until someone here is interrogated by a consultant (or whoever is going to check your meter).

 

[Vicsetter]

Dear Northerner (and anyone else). You are more than welcome to visit us if you pass by Cambridge to see the strips being made (call 01480-482920). We are always appreciative of new comments/suggestions. For example, our meters automatically calculate a 14 day glucose average at the moment. Do people want 30, 60 and 90 day averaging as well? Our meters allow the user to manually input their insulin readings (number of units and type; date and time are automatically added); is this useful data to have available? Is insulin data entry useful? Many thanks for your comments. Best wishes for 2012.

If you hadn't gathered from the comments on the message board there are two main requirements for a meter, one is the time taken for the test and the other is the sample size. I'm afraid I would rule the microdot out for those reasons. The meter also has a capacity of 500 tests so that could rule it out for some users as pointed out in this thread, it won't last 90 days.

 

[Robster65]

Sorry,you are quite right. Has anyone thought that as the requirement is all about driving, maybe you should keep a meter just for testing while driving, are would that not reduce your usage sufficiently? We won't really know until someone here is interrogated by a consultant (or whoever is going to check your meter).

I think, with the rules as they are at present, they include night times as well potential driving times, so I would imagine you'd need to show all results on the one meter. Or at least sourced from the one meter.

There's also the question of calibration. If they have specific upper or lower limits, our meters can be 10% or so out which might give a false reading outside of those parameters. Not a problem in everyday life but serious if your licence depends on it.

Rob

 

[Vicsetter]

I think, with the rules as they are at present, they include night times as well potential driving times, so I would imagine you'd need to show all results on the one meter. Or at least sourced from the one meter.

There's also the question of calibration. If they have specific upper or lower limits, our meters can be 10% or so out which might give a false reading outside of those parameters. Not a problem in everyday life but serious if your licence depends on it.

Rob

Car speedometers are no more accurate than 10% and we are expected to obey the speed limit!
The consultant or whoever will be aware of the limitations of our meters. The rules since 2010 have required:The driver must show adequate control of the condition by regular blood glucose monitoring, at least twice daily and at times relevant to driving. Can you really do this without a meter with memory function?
The new requirement however requires that you have a meter that records 3 months of tests for the consultant to view. I can't imagine a consultant being interested in pressing a button on a meter 500 times or more to get back 3 months.

 

[Robster65]

Car speedometers are no more accurate than 10% and we are expected to obey the speed limit!
The consultant or whoever will be aware of the limitations of our meters. The rules since 2010 have required:The driver must show adequate control of the condition by regular blood glucose monitoring, at least twice daily and at times relevant to driving. Can you really do this without a meter with memory function?
The new requirement however requires that you have a meter that records 3 months of tests for the consultant to view. I can't imagine a consultant being interested in pressing a button on a meter 500 times or more to get back 3 months.

It does make you wonder who they consulted to come up with it. No working knowledge of diabetes or how diabetes care operates. Perhaps one civil servant passes his work to the next desk for checkign and then it's rubber stamped. And the world has to modify its behaviour to match their view of it. 🙄

Rob

 

[Mark T]

...Car speedometers are no more accurate than 10% and we are expected to obey the speed limit!...

Actually it's a bit more accurate then that, since the regulation is that the displayed speed shall be between -0% and (+10% + 4km/h) of the actual speed.

However there is a comparable argument here. Most automotive OEM's bias the speedometer so it reads 5% high (sometimes more) such that you are never unknowingly speeding.

But, I would suspect that it would not be a good idea of the meter manufacturer's all biased say 5% low to make sure even a borderline hypo was treated.

 

[James McCann]

Reply to comments on meter features

Dear All, Many thanks for the comments about the averaging on Microdot meters. Our next generation meters will have much greater capacity for averaging over 14-30-60 and 90 days.
On the issue of the memory size, Microdot currently stores the last 500 readings in the memory in the meter. The readings may be downloaded via a cable to a PC and all readings transferred can be stored on the PC for the last 12 months, so even if the reading is no longer on the Microdot meter it is still on the PC. Thus the last 500 readings are in the meter and an unlimited number, taken over the last 12 months, can be stored on the PC.

Microdot meters also allow the user to manually enter their insulin doses (unit size and type). The meter aso adds on the date and time. Is this a useful function or one that should be dropped? This data can also be viewed on hte PC after downloading.

If any of you wish to try out the Microdot meter and the PC software you can do so for free by calling 01480-482920

 

[Vicsetter]

Actually it's a bit more accurate then that, since the regulation is that the displayed speed shall be between -0% and (+10% + 4km/h) of the actual speed.

However there is a comparable argument here. Most automotive OEM's bias the speedometer so it reads 5% high (sometimes more) such that you are never unknowingly speeding.

But, I would suspect that it would not be a good idea of the meter manufacturer's all biased say 5% low to make sure even a borderline hypo was treated.

1. You are assuming that the car has correctly inflated tyres. It used to be said that the police allowed 10% + 3 mph before prosecuting because of speedo inaccuracy.
2. bg meters usually have spread of inaccuracy depending on the reading, of the ones I've looked at they are more accurate at low readings, which is what you need.

 

[FM001]

Microdot meters also allow the user to manually enter their insulin doses (unit size and type). The meter aso adds on the date and time. Is this a useful function or one that should be dropped? This data can also be viewed on hte PC after downloading.

The imputing of insulin doses would mean nothing unless you could also include the carbohydrate content for that meal, without this it would be left to memory or we would have to record it separately in a diary.

 

[Mark T]

1. You are assuming that the car has correctly inflated tyres. It used to be said that the police allowed 10% + 3 mph before prosecuting because of speedo inaccuracy....

And the correct size wheels fitted and... yes I simplified things a bit. You also have to have to factor in error for the speed detection device too.

I'm surprised that a meter can only store 500 readings (the electronics part of me would probably like to open up a meter and have a look at what is actually in it). If you are testing 6x per day then that won't make the 90 days. Although I could not imagine a police officer going through 500 readings to make sure you hadn't been too low.

Possibly some bright meter company ought to probably integrate a SD/microSD port to extend memory.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Dear All, Many thanks for the comments about the averaging on Microdot meters. Our next generation meters will have much greater capacity for averaging over 14-30-60 and 90 days.
On the issue of the memory size, Microdot currently stores the last 500 readings in the memory in the meter. The readings may be downloaded via a cable to a PC and all readings transferred can be stored on the PC for the last 12 months, so even if the reading is no longer on the Microdot meter it is still on the PC. Thus the last 500 readings are in the meter and an unlimited number, taken over the last 12 months, can be stored on the PC.

Microdot meters also allow the user to manually enter their insulin doses (unit size and type). The meter aso adds on the date and time. Is this a useful function or one that should be dropped? This data can also be viewed on hte PC after downloading.

If any of you wish to try out the Microdot meter and the PC software you can do so for free by calling 01480-482920

James - This may be of interest... I had a comment on our blog today from someone with profound visual impairment who has tried (and failed) to find a decent BG meter suitable for use by blind people. Sounds like a bit of a gap in the market for a well designed solution...

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