What should I bear in mind when using test strips?
Correct Handling of Test Strips
- Do not use expired test strips. Check the expiration date printed on the test strip vial and package.
- Close the test strip vial IMMEDIATELY after removing a test strip to protect the remaining test strips from moisture.
- Use test strips immediately after removing them from the vial.
- Do not use wet or damaged test strips.
- Avoid direct sunlight and heat. Store the test strips in a dry, cool environment (not in the bathroom).
- Dispose of the used test strip and lancet immediately after testing.
- If a meter has to be coded for a cholesterol- or uric acid-measurement, do not forget to check the code. Each time you use a test strip, make sure that the code number and the test mode (ex. ‘CHOL’ or ‘UA’) shown on the display match the information on the cholesterol or uric acid test strip container.
- Write the opening date on the test strip vial label, next to the “Period after opening” symbol. The remaining test strips must be disposed after the defined number of months after they are first opened. Please refer to your test strip vial label and look at this symbol:
Use a compatible test strip for precise results
Every blood glucose meter comes with its own test strips, to which the blood sample must be applied. Please refer to the user manual for your blood glucose meter to find out which test strips are compatible with your device.
For example, the Wellion GALILEO meters are compatible with the Wellion GALILEO test strips.
The main reaction for measuring blood glucose takes place in the test strip. A Wellion test strip is a high-tech product. The test strip consists of various layers, into which electrodes are embedded using a complex process, whilst a biological substrate is applied to the reaction zone using a precise process. A parameter-specific enzyme reacts with the blood in a highly specific manner. This reaction generates an electric current, which is converted by the meter into a corresponding measurement result and displayed on the screen.
