Effects of dynamic temperature and humidity stresses on point-of-care glucose testing for disaster care.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize the performance of glucose meter test strips using simulated dynamic temperature and humidity disaster conditions.


METHODS
Glucose oxidase- and glucose dehydrogenase-based test strips were dynamically stressed for up to 680 hours using an environmental chamber to simulate conditions during Hurricane Katrina. Paired measurements vs control were obtained using 3 aqueous reagent levels for GMS1 and 2 for GMS2.


RESULTS
Stress affected the performance of GMS1 at level 1 (P < .01); and GMS2 at both levels (P < .001), lowering GMS1 results but elevating GMS2 results. Glucose median-paired differences were elevated at both levels on GMS2 after 72 hours. Median-paired differences (stress minus control) were as much as -10 mg/dL (range, -65 to 33) at level 3 with GMS1, with errors as large as 21.9%. Glucose median-paired differences were as high as 5 mg/dL (range, -1 to 10) for level 1 on GMS2, with absolute errors up to 24.4%.


CONCLUSIONS
The duration of dynamic stress affected the performance of both GMS1 and GMS2 glucose test strips. Therefore, proper monitoring, handling, and storage of point-of-care (POC) reagents are needed to ensure their integrity and quality of actionable results, thereby minimizing treatment errors in emergency and disaster settings.
UC Davis-LLNL POC Technologies Center, Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT-CTR), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-Davis, CA 95616, USA. rflouie@ucdavis.edu
Richard F
RF
Louie
William J
WJ
Ferguson
Stephanie L
SL
Sumner
Jimmy N
JN
Yu
Corbin M
CM
Curtis
Gerald J
GJ
Kost
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004190:Disasters; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D019300:Medical Errors; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000592:standards*; D011934:Reagent Strips / Q000592:standards*; D013696:Temperature
D001786:Blood Glucose; D011934:Reagent Strips