Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Jul 2014
Reliability of point-of-care capillary blood glucose measurements in the critical value range.
Point-of-care glucose (POCG) testing on capillary blood specimens is central to maintaining glycemic control in patients with diabetes. Although there are known performance issues with POCG methods, especially for maintaining tight glucose control, there is little information about the accuracy of results in the critical ranges that may involve life-threatening conditions. ⋯ POCG measurements in the critical range are frequently erroneous, which is likely caused by preanalytic factors associated with sampling capillary blood. POCG testing practices should include retesting to confirm critical results.