The accuracy of a glucose-oxidase-based point-of-care glucometer in premature infants

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a novel commercial glucose-oxidase (GO)-based glucometer in measuring glucose concentrations in arterial blood samples collected from premature infants. Patients and methods A commercial glucometer, which is a plasma separation GO-based glucometer, was employed to compare the accuracy of the commercial blood glucometer with that of a standard glucose analyser for monitoring blood glucose levels in premature infants. Arterial blood samples were collected and analysed, including samples adjusted for specific glucose (3.6mmol/L, 8.3mmol/L and 16.7mmol/L) and PaO2 levels (range, 40-400mmHg). Results In total, 159 samples were collected. Bland-Altman analysis showed good correlation between the commercial glucometer and standard glucose analyser. Error-grid analysis revealed that all of the results were within zone A (ie, the clinically accurate estimate zone). The biases between the two systems were low at different PaO2 levels and haematocrits. Finally, the influence of different PaO2 levels was within acceptable ranges. Conclusions The GO-based glucometer evaluated in this study provides accurate results even when measured at high PaO2 and different haematocrits and is suitable for measuring arterial glucose levels in premature infants.