Comparison of capillary Accu-Chek blood glucose values to laboratory values

With 2 to 4% of the obstetric population demonstrating glucose intolerance, many authorities advocate the routine screening of all pregnant women. Some have questioned the cost effectiveness of such an approach and have chosen to screen only those with high-risk factors, overlooking a large percentage of gestational diabetics. The purpose of this report was to determine if Accu-Chek glucometer values are sufficiently accurate to substitute for laboratory values in our medical complex. Capillary Accu-Chek glucose values and laboratory values were compared in 140 patients. Values ranged from a low of 43 to a high of 380. The mean +/- SD glucose values were 142 +/- 73 mg/dl and 142 +/- 80 mg/dl, respectively. These values are not significantly different. Using a cutoff of 140 mg/dl as abnormal, the sensitivity of the capillary Accu-Chek was 100% and the specificity was 95% compared with the venous method. A simple linear regression indicated that there was a strong correlation between the capillary Accu-Chek glucose values and the laboratory glucose values (r = 0.95, p less than or equal to 0.0001). The slope was not different from 1 (p = 0.3135), and the intercept was not different from 0 (p = 0.4943), illustrating that there was an equality in the values and that one value may be substituted for the other.