Accuracy of a Simplified Glucose Measurement Device--The HemoCue Glucose 201RT

Empagliflozin improves insulin sensitivity in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome and newly detected dysglycaemia : Experiences from the randomized, controlled SOCOGAMI trial

BACKGROUND

Empagliflozin reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and high cardiovascular risk via mechanisms which have not been fully explained. The mechanisms of such benefit have not been fully understood, and whether empagliflozin can be safely administered as first-line treatment in patients with CVD at the initial stages of glycaemic perturbations remains to be established. We investigated the effects of empagliflozin on insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity and β-cell function indexes in patients with a recent acute coronary event and newly detected dysglycaemia, i.e., impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or T2DM.

METHODS

Forty-two patients (mean age 67.5 years, 19% females) with a recent myocardial infarction (n = 36) or unstable angina (n = 6) and newly detected dysglycaemia were randomized to either empagliflozin 25 mg daily (n = 20) or placebo (n = 22). Patients were investigated with stress-perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging before randomization, 7 months after the start of study drug and 3 months following its cessation. Indexes of insulin resistance, sensitivity and β-cell function were calculated based on glucose and insulin values from 2-hour oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and fasting C-peptide. The differences in glucose, insulin, C-peptide, mannose levels and indexes between the two groups were computed by repeated measures ANOVA including an interaction term between the treatment allocation and the time of visit.

RESULTS

After 7 months, empagliflozin significantly decreased glucose and insulin values during the OGTT, whereas C-peptide, mannose and HbA1c did not differ. Empagliflozin significantly improved insulin sensitivity indexes but did not impact insulin resistance and β-cell function. After cessation of the drug, all indexes returned to initial levels. Insulin sensitivity indexes were inversely correlated with left ventricular mass at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

Empagliflozin improved insulin sensitivity indexes in patients with a recent coronary event and drug naïve dysglycaemia. These findings support the safe use of empagliflozin as first-line glucose-lowering treatment in patients at very high cardiovascular risk with newly diagnosed dysglycaemia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

EudraCT number 2015-004571-73.

Religious disparities in health in Bangladesh-the case of hypertension and diabetes: evidence from two nationally representative cross-sectional surveys

OBJECTIVES

Religious affiliation, beliefs, and practices shape lifestyles and disease risks. This study examined Hindu-Muslim differences in the prevalence and management of hypertension and diabetes in Bangladesh, a religiously plural country with 91% Muslims and 8% Hindus.

DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

We used the nationally representative 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) and 2017-2018 BDHS data. The 2011 BDHS collected blood pressure (BP) data with an 89% response rate (RR) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) data (RR 85%) from household members aged 35 years and above. The 2017-2018 BDHS collected BP and FBG data from household members aged 18 years and above with 89% and 84% RRs, respectively. We analysed 6628 participants for hypertension and 6370 participants for diabetes from the 2011 BDHS, 11 449 for hypertension and 10 744 for diabetes from the 2017-2018 BDHS.

METHODS

We followed the WHO guidelines to define hypertension and diabetes. We used descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression to examine the Hindu-Muslim differences in hypertension and diabetes, and estimated predicted probabilities to examine the changes in hypertension and diabetes risk over time.

RESULTS

Nine in 10 of the sample were Muslims. About 31% of Hindus and 24% of Muslims were hypertensive; 10% of both Hindus and Muslims were diabetic in 2017-2018. The odds of being hypertensive were 45% higher among Hindus than Muslims (adjusted OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.23 to 1.71; p<0.001). The levels of awareness, medication and control of hypertension were similar between the religious groups. Between the 2011 and 2017-2018 BDHS, the Hindu-Muslim difference in the prevalence of hypertension increased non-significantly, by 3 percentage points.

CONCLUSIONS

Further studies on religious-based lifestyles, Hindu-Muslim differences in diet, physical activity, stress, and other risk factors of hypertension and diabetes are needed to understand Hindus' higher likelihood of being hypertensive, in contrast, not diabetic compared with Muslims.

SOdium-glucose CO-transporter inhibition in patients with newly detected Glucose Abnormalities and a recent Myocardial Infarction (SOCOGAMI)

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Established dysglycaemia (impaired glucose tolerance [IGT] or type 2 diabetes [T2DM]) is a risk factor for further cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors reduce this risk. The aim of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that empagliflozin exerts beneficial effects on myocardial function in patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome and newly detected dysglycaemia.

METHODS

Forty-two patients (mean age 67.5 years, 81 % male) with recent myocardial infarction (n = 36) or unstable angina (n = 6) and newly detected IGT (n = 27) or T2DM (n = 15) were randomised to 25 mg of empagliflozin daily (n = 20) or placebo (n = 22) on top of ongoing therapy. They were investigated with oral glucose tolerance tests, stress-perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and echocardiography at three occasions: before randomisation, after seven months on study drug and three months following cessation of such drug. Primary outcome was a change in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and secondary outcomes were a change in a) systolic and diastolic LV function; b) coronary flow reserve; c) myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) in non-infarcted myocardium; d) aortic pulse wave velocity.

RESULTS

Empagliflozin induced a significant decrease in fasting and post load glucose (p < 0.05) and body weight (p < 0.01). Empagliflozin did not influence LVEDV, LV systolic or mass indexes, coronary flow reserve, ECV or aortic pulse wave velocity. Echocardiographic indices of LV diastolic function (E/e' and mitral E/A ratio) were not influenced. No safety concerns were identified.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Empagliflozin had predicted effects on the dysglycaemia but did not influence variables expressing LV function, coronary flow reserve and ECV. An explanation may be that the LV function of the patients was within the normal range.

Measures of Insulin Resistance as a Screening Tool for Dysglycemia in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: A Report From the EUROASPIRE V Population

OBJECTIVE

The optimal screening strategy for dysglycemia (including type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is debated. We tested the hypothesis that measures of insulin resistance by HOMA indexes may constitute good screening methods.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Insulin, C-peptide, glycated hemoglobin A1c, and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were centrally assessed in 3,534 patients with CAD without known dysglycemia from the fifth European Survey of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Diabetes (EUROASPIRE V). Three different HOMA indexes were calculated: HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), HOMA2 based on insulin (HOMA2-ins), and HOMA2 based on C-peptide (HOMA2-Cpep). Dysglycemia was diagnosed based on the 2-h postload glucose value obtained from the OGTT. Information on study participants was obtained by standardized interviews. The optimal thresholds of the three HOMA indexes for dysglycemia diagnosis were obtained by the maximum value of Youden's J statistic on receiver operator characteristic curves. Their correlation with clinical parameters was assessed by Spearman coefficients.

RESULTS

Of 3,534 patients with CAD (mean age 63 years; 25% women), 41% had dysglycemia. Mean insulin, C-peptide, and HOMA indexes were significantly higher in patients with versus without newly detected dysglycemia (all P < 0.0001). Sensitivity and specificity of the three HOMA indexes for the diagnosis of dysglycemia were low, but their correlation with BMI and waist circumference was strong.

CONCLUSIONS

Screening for dysglycemia in patients with CAD by HOMA-IR, HOMA2-ins, and HOMA2-Cpep had insufficient diagnostic performance to detect dysglycemia with reference to the yield of an OGTT, which should still be prioritized despite its practical drawbacks.

Potential for optimizing management of obesity in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease

AIMS

Prevention guidelines have identified the management of obese patients as an important priority to reduce the burden of incident and recurrent cardiovascular disease. Still, studies have demonstrated that over 80% of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) fail to achieve their weight target. Here, we describe advice received and actions reported by overweight CHD patients since being discharged from hospital and how weight changes relate to their risk profile.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Based on data from 10 507 CHD patients participating in the EUROASPIRE IV and V studies, we analysed weight changes from hospital admission to the time of a study visit ≥6 and <24 months later. At hospitalization, 34.9% were obese and another 46.0% were overweight. Obesity was more frequent in women and associated with more comorbidities. By the time of the study visit, 19.5% of obese patients had lost ≥5% of weight. However, in 16.4% weight had increased ≥5%. Weight gain in those overweight was associated with physical inactivity, non-adherence to dietary recommendations, smoking cessation, raised blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, dysglycaemia, and lower levels of quality of life. Less than half of obese patients was considering weight loss in the coming month.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of obesity remains a challenge in the secondary prevention of CHD despite a beneficial effect of weight loss on risk factor prevalences and quality of life. Cardiac rehabilitation programmes should include weight loss interventions as a specific component and the incremental value of telehealth intervention as well as recently described pharmacological interventions need full consideration.

Mannose-binding lectin does not explain the dismal prognosis after an acute coronary event in dysglycaemic patients. A report from the GAMI cohort

Background

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) has been suggested to be associated with an impaired cardiovascular prognosis in dysglycaemic conditions, but results are still contrasting.

Our aims are (i) to examine whether MBL levels differ between patients with an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and healthy controls and between subgroups with different glucose tolerance status, and (ii) to investigate the relation between MBL and future cardiovascular events.

Methods

MBL levels were assessed at discharge and after 3 months in 161 AMI patients without any previously known glucose perturbations and in 183 age- and gender-matched controls from the Glucose metabolism in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (GAMI) study. Participants were classified as having dysglycaemia, i.e. type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, or not by an oral glucose tolerance test. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular events comprising cardiovascular death, AMI, stroke or severe heart failure during 11 years of follow-up. Total and cardiovascular mortality served as secondary outcomes.

Results

At hospital discharge patients had higher MBL levels (median 1246 μg/L) than three months later (median 575 μg/L; p < 0.01), the latter did not significantly differ from those in the controls (801 μg/L; p = 0.47). MBL levels were not affected by dysglycaemia either in patients or controls. Independent of glycaemic state, increasing MBL levels did not predict any of the studied outcomes in patients. In unadjusted analyses increasing MBL levels predicted cardiovascular events (hazard ratio HR: 1.67, 95% confidence interval CI 1.06–2.64) and total mortality (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.12–2.10) in the control group. However, this did not remain in adjusted analyses.

Conclusions

Patients had higher MBL levels than controls during the hospital phase of AMI, supporting the assumption that elevated MBL reflects acute stress. MBL was not found to be independently associated with cardiovascular prognosis in patients with AMI regardless of glucose state.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-022-01562-0.

Effect on mortality of increasing the cutoff blood glucose concentration for initiating hypoglycaemia treatment in severely sick children aged 1 month to 5 years in Malawi (SugarFACT): a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Low blood glucose concentrations are common in sick children who present to hospital in low-resource settings and are associated with increased mortality. The cutoff blood glucose concentration for the diagnosis and treatment of hypoglycaemia currently recommended by WHO (2·5 mmol/L) is not evidence-based. We aimed to assess whether increasing the cutoff blood glucose concentration for hypoglycaemia treatment in severely ill children at presentation to hospital improves mortality outcomes.

METHODS

We did a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial at two referral hospitals in Malawi. Severely ill children aged 1 month to 5 years presenting to the emergency department with a capillary blood glucose concentration of between 2·5 mmol/L (3·0 mmol/L in severely malnourished children) and 5·0 mmol/L were randomly assigned (1:1) by a computer-generated randomisation sequence, stratified by study site and severe malnutrition, to receive either an immediate intravenous bolus of 10% dextrose at 5 mL/kg followed by a 24-h maintenance infusion of 10% dextrose at 100 mL/kg for the first 10 kg of bodyweight, 50 mL/kg for the next 10 kg, and 20 mL/kg for each subsequent kg of bodyweight (intervention group) or observation for a minimum of 60 min and standard care (control group). Participants and study personnel were not masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality, assessed on an intention-to-treat basis. Safety was also assessed in the intention-to-treat population. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02989675.

FINDINGS

Between Dec 5, 2016, and Jan 22, 2019, 10 947 children were screened, of whom 332 were randomly assigned, and 322 were included in the final analysis (n=162 in the control group and n=160 in the intervention group). The study was terminated after an interim analysis at 24% enrolment indicated futility. The median age of participants was 2·3 years (IQR 1·4-3·2), 65 (45%) were female, and the baseline characteristics of participants were similar between the two groups. The number of in-hospital deaths from any cause was 26 (16%) in the control group and 24 (15%) in the intervention group, with an absolute mortality difference of 1·0% (95% CI -6·9 to 9·0). Serious adverse events, including hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, convulsions, reduced consciousness, and death, were reported in 47 (29%) children in the control group and 39 (24%) children in the intervention group.

INTERPRETATION

Increasing the cutoff blood glucose concentration for hypoglycaemia treatment in severely sick children in Malawi from 2·5 mmol/L to 5·0 mmol/L did not reduce all-cause in-hospital mortality. Our findings do not support changing the cutoff for dextrose administration, and further research on the optimal management of severely ill children who present to the emergency department with low blood glucose concentrations is warranted.

FUNDING

Swedish Research Council and Stockholm Country Council.

Standing up against office sitting: A study protocol

Background

Sedentary behaviour is associated with cardiometabolic diseases amongst office-bound workers, mostly through extended sitting and engaging in low-energy-demanding activities during work hours. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of standing desks and healthy messages on cardiovascular parameters in a cohort of office-based workers and to explore the perceptions of these workers about the suitability of this intervention to lower occupation-related sedentariness.

Methods/design

The protocol will use a mixed-methods study design. Phase 1 of this study is a 12-month, single blinded, randomised controlled trial, which will include baseline, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month post-intervention assessments of plausible cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in office-bound workers at a South African credit and information management company. These biomarkers include anthropometry, sedentary behaviour and physical activity, sleep duration, blood pressure, glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile and cardiorespiratory fitness. Participants will be randomised into an intervention or control group. The intervention group will be provided with an adjustable sit-stand desk and receive weekly health-promoting messages for the intervention period. Phase 2 will use focus group discussions conducted post-intervention to explore the study participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of the intervention. Cardiometabolic risk biomarkers and changes in these variables will be compared between the intervention group and the control group at the four time points using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Discussion

Regression analysis will be undertaken to determine the association of cardiometabolic risk biomarkers with cardiometabolic diseases. A thematic content analysis approach will be used to explore emerging themes from focus group discussions.

Protocol identification

Pan African Clinical Trial Registry, PACTR201911656014962.

Screening for Glucose Perturbations and Risk Factor Management in Dysglycemic Patients With Coronary Artery Disease-A Persistent Challenge in Need of Substantial Improvement: A Report From ESC EORP EUROASPIRE V

OBJECTIVE

Dysglycemia, in this survey defined as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or type 2 diabetes, is common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated with an unfavorable prognosis. This European survey investigated dysglycemia screening and risk factor management of patients with CAD in relation to standards of European guidelines for cardiovascular subjects.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The European Society of Cardiology's European Observational Research Programme (ESC EORP) European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) V (2016-2017) included 8,261 CAD patients, aged 18-80 years, from 27 countries. If the glycemic state was unknown, patients underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and measurement of glycated hemoglobin A_1c. Lifestyle, risk factors, and pharmacological management were investigated.

RESULTS

A total of 2,452 patients (29.7%) had known diabetes. OGTT was performed in 4,440 patients with unknown glycemic state, of whom 41.1% were dysglycemic. Without the OGTT, 30% of patients with type 2 diabetes and 70% of those with IGT would not have been detected. The presence of dysglycemia almost doubled from that self-reported to the true proportion after screening. Only approximately one-third of all coronary patients had completely normal glucose metabolism. Of patients with known diabetes, 31% had been advised to attend a diabetes clinic, and only 24% attended. Only 58% of dysglycemic patients were prescribed all cardioprotective drugs, and use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (3%) or glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (1%) was small.

CONCLUSIONS

Urgent action is required for both screening and management of patients with CAD and dysglycemia, in the expectation of a substantial reduction in risk of further cardiovascular events and in complications of diabetes, as well as longer life expectancy.

Primary prevention efforts are poorly developed in people at high cardiovascular risk: A report from the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme EUROASPIRE V survey in 16 European countries

BACKGROUND

European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) V in primary care was carried out by the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme in 2016-2018. The main objective was to determine whether the 2016 Joint European Societies' guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in people at high cardiovascular risk have been implemented in clinical practice.

METHODS

The method used was a cross-stional survey in 78 centres from 16 European countries. Patients without a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease either started on blood pressure and/or lipid and/or glucose lowering treatments were identified and interviewed ≥ 6 months after the start of medication.

RESULTS

A total of 3562 medical records were reviewed and 2759 patients (57.6% women; mean age 59.0 ± 11.6 years) interviewed (interview rate 70.0%). The risk factor control was poor with 18.1% of patients being smokers, 43.5% obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) and 63.8% centrally obese (waist circumference ≥88 cm for women, ≥102 cm for men). Of patients on blood pressure lowering medication 47.0% reached the target of <140/90 mm Hg (<140/85 mm Hg in people with diabetes). Among treated dyslipidaemic patients only 46.9% attained low density lipoprotein-cholesterol target of <2.6 mmol/l. Among people treated for type 2 diabetes mellitus, 65.2% achieved the HbA1c target of <7.0%.

CONCLUSION

The primary care arm of the EUROASPIRE V survey revealed that large proportions of people at high cardiovascular disease risk have unhealthy lifestyles and inadequate control of blood pressure, lipids and diabetes. Thus, the potential to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease throughout Europe by improved preventive cardiology programmes is substantial.

Measurement accuracy of two professional-use systems for point-of-care testing of blood glucose

Background The professional-use systems HemoCue® Glucose 201+ (HC201+) and HemoCue® Glucose 201 RT (HC201RT) are widely used for point-of-care testing (POCT) of blood glucose (BG). HC201RT utilizes unit-use microcuvettes which can be stored at room temperature, whereas HC201+ microcuvettes have to be stored at <8 °C. In this study, system accuracy of HC201+ and HC201RT was evaluated using capillary and venous blood samples. Methods For each system, two reagent system lots were evaluated within a period of 2 years based on testing procedures of ISO 15197:2013, a standard applicable for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) systems. For each reagent system lot, the investigation was performed by using 100 capillary and 95 to 99 venous blood samples. Comparison measurements were performed with a hexokinase laboratory method. Accuracy criteria of ISO 15197:2013 and POCT12-A3 were applied. In addition, bias was analyzed according to Bland and Altman, and error grid analysis was performed. Results When measuring capillary samples, both systems fulfilled accuracy requirements of ISO 15197:2013 and POCT12-A3 with the investigated reagent system lots. When measuring venous samples, only HC201+ fulfilled these requirements. Bias between HC201+ and reference measurements was more consistent over venous and capillary samples and microcuvette lots than for HC201RT. Error grid analysis showed that clinical actions might have been different depending on which system was used. Conclusions In this study, HC201+ showed a high level of accuracy irrespective of the sample type (capillary or venous). In contrast, HC201RT measurement results were markedly affected by the type of sample.

Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus with Point-of-Care Methods for Glucose versus Hospital Laboratory Method Using Isotope Dilution Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry as Reference

BACKGROUND

In Sweden, both glucose analyzers in accredited laboratories and point-of-care glucose devices are used for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of the HemoCue Glucose 201+ (HC201+) and RT (HC201RT) systems with that of the hospital central laboratory hexokinase method (CL) based on lyophilized citrate tubes, using the isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ID GC-MS) as reference.

METHODS

A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed on 135 women screened positive for GDM. Diagnosis was based on the World Health Organization 2013 diagnostic thresholds for fasting (n = 135), 1 h (n = 135), 1 h (n = 135), 1 h (.

RESULTS

Significantly more women were diagnosed with GDM by HC201+ (80%) and CL (80%) than with the reference (65%, P < 0.001) based on fasting and/or 2 h thresholds, whereas the percentage diagnosed by HC201RT (60%) did not differ significantly from the reference. In Bland-Altman analysis, a positive bias was observed for HC201+ (4.2%) and CL (6.1%) and a negative bias for HC201RT (-1.8%). In the surveillance error grid, 95.9% of the HC201+ values were in the no-risk zone as compared to 98.1% for HC201RT and 97.5% for CL.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial positive bias was found for CL measurements resulting in overdiagnosis of GDM. Our findings suggest better performance of HC201RT than HC201+ in GDM diagnosis. The results may have possible implications for GDM diagnosis in Sweden and require further elucidation.

Lifestyle and impact on cardiovascular risk factor control in coronary patients across 27 countries: Results from the European Society of Cardiology ESC-EORP EUROASPIRE V registry

Aims

The aim of this study was to determine whether the Joint European Societies guidelines on secondary cardiovascular prevention are followed in everyday practice.

Design

A cross-sectional ESC-EORP survey (EUROASPIRE V) at 131 centres in 81 regions in 27 countries.

Methods

Patients (<80 years old) with verified coronary artery events or interventions were interviewed and examined ≥6 months later.

Results

A total of 8261 patients (females 26%) were interviewed. Nineteen per cent smoked and 55% of them were persistent smokers, 38% were obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2), 59% were centrally obese (waist circumference: men ≥102 cm; women ≥88 cm) while 66% were physically active <30 min 5 times/week. Forty-two per cent had a blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg (≥140/85 if diabetic), 71% had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥1.8 mmol/L (≥70 mg/dL) and 29% reported having diabetes. Cardioprotective medication was: anti-platelets 93%, beta-blockers 81%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers 75% and statins 80%.

Conclusion

A large majority of coronary patients have unhealthy lifestyles in terms of smoking, diet and sedentary behaviour, which adversely impacts major cardiovascular risk factors. A majority did not achieve their blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glucose targets. Cardiovascular prevention requires modern preventive cardiology programmes delivered by interdisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals addressing all aspects of lifestyle and risk factor management, in order to reduce the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events.

The Accuracy of Point-of-Care Equipment for Glucose Measurement in Screening for Dysglycemia in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

BACKGROUND

Point-of-care equipment for measuring glucose saves time and costs for both patients and professionals and minimizes preanalytic errors when screening for or managing dysglycemia, that is, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. The accuracy of such devices has, however, been questioned compared with analyses at an accredited hospital laboratory.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the agreement between glucose measurements made by the point-of-care HemoCue^® Glucose 201 RT System (HemoCue, Ängelholm, Sweden) and local hospital laboratories.

MATERIAL

Patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) recruited in Sweden and the United Kingdom within the auspices of the European Action on Secondary and primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) V survey (n = 87; 18-80 years) with or without previously known dysglycemia were investigated. Plasma glucose values collected in the fasting state (n = 85) and 60 (n = 57) and 120 (n = 72) min after a glucose load were analyzed both using HemoCue monitors and local hospital laboratories. The two measurement techniques were compared using a bias plot according to Bland-Altman, the surveillance error grid, and Spearman correlation test.

RESULTS

The bias plot method showed small differences between the HemoCue and local hospital laboratory methods, the HemoCue and central hospital laboratory, and the local hospital laboratories and the central hospital laboratory. In the surveillance error grid, 98.6% of the values were in the deep green zone, indicating no risk and the remaining values (1.4%) were within the light green zone, indicating "slight lower risk."

CONCLUSION

The HemoCue point-of-care system is accurate for dysglycemia screening in patients with CAD.