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Synthesizing the control solution

A project log for Open source Arduino blood glucose meter shield

Open hardware and software blood glucose meter using electrochemical test strips

m-bindhammerM. Bindhammer 07/16/2016 at 14:291 Comment

Today all necessary chemicals arrived, so I started to synthesize the ONE TOUCH ULTRA control solution. I used:

Firstly I prepared a solution of 91ml deionized water, 8g polyvinylpyrrolidone, 0.5g sodium benzoate and 0.5g EDTA (disodium salt). As the EDTA (disodium salt) did not dissolve completely under room temperature I heated the solution up to approx. 50°C and stirred it frequently.

After the EDTA was completely dissolved the solution was allowed to cool down to room temperature again. After that one pinch of indigo carmine was added. The solution had now a volume of exactly 100ml. Then I dissolved 0.12g glucose and expected that the glucose meter would show approx. 120mg/dl, which wasn't the case. The glucose meter displayed: WARNING. Below 20 mg/dL. LOW GLUCOSE.

I added 0.38g glucose more to the solution. Now I got a proper reading: 135mg/dl, same as the original control solution.

Conclusion: The glucose meter does not read the real glucose concentration of the control solution. In the end it doesn't matter. I can prepare different control solutions by adding small amounts of glucose, compare the result of the commercial glucose meter with the results of my home brew one and find a mathematical dependence between the results.

Summarized: A control solution similar to the ONE TOUCH ULTRA one can be prepared by dissolving 8g polyvinylpyrrolidone, 0.5g sodium benzoate, 0.5g EDTA (disodium salt), 0.5g D(+)-Glucose and additionally a pinch of indigo carmine in 91ml deionized water.

Discussions

Tom Meehan wrote 07/16/2016 at 20:35 point

Great work.  Control solution do seem to be a real pain.  Commercial solutions seem to only come in 1-2 concentrations for each brand of strip. Also formulation of control solutions seems to be dependent on the strip chemistry (some rely on GDH some on GO) and other variables like hematocrit and hydration status.  I thought control solutions would be a non-issue and instead they are an issue (and one I'm having to face now).  So, again, Great Work.

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