Accuracy of Glycemic Measurements in the Critically Ill

ABSTRACT Background: Recent evidence emphasizes the importance of maintaining normoglycemia in critically ill patients to reduce morbidity and mortality. Different analytical methods of varying accuracy exist for obtaining and measuring blood glucose in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in blood glucose values measured by whole blood capillary and arterial samples using three different bedside blood glucose meters and a blood gas analyzer as compared to a reference blood glucose analyzer. Methods: Sixty subjects were recruited from a university hospital medical/surgical intensive care unit. Matching capillary and arterial samples were analyzed by a clinical blood glucose reference analyzer (YSI®, Yellow Springs Instrument, Yellow Springs, OH) and three blood glucose meters (Lifescan [Milpitas, CA] SureStepFlexx®, Roche [Indianapolis, IN] Accu-Chek Inform®, and Abbott [Alameda, CA] FreeStyle®). Additionally, the arterial samples were analyzed by a...