Running out of AccuTrak strips and need to do a curve

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Alene

Alene

Member Since 2015
Hi all - sorry for an urgent question but we're brand new to home testing. I ordered the AccuTrak starter kit and I like that it's easy to use because I'm math challenged, but, talking to my vet today we need to adjust insulin starting tonight, which means a new curve, and NO ONE in a brick and mortar including vets sells the strips for this thing! I'll go buy another human one but please, does anyone know a really, really simple way to make sure I don't get readings I don't understand and do harm? Thank you....
 
Alene; depending on how many strips you have take a reading with both meters until you run out of AccuTrak one's. That way you can see how they compare. I actually do this each time I open a new lot of strips; take double reading for the last two because the strips can show slightly different numbers.
 
I will; I think I have 5 ATs ready and I'm going to order more, it's just easier. More expensive, but easier. :p But if anyone has the numbers please - the last post containing a chart was several years old. I bought the ReliOn Prime and they both do mg/dl, I think it is, so this should be fun. Ack!
 
@Alene if I am understanding your messages correctly, you are using an ALPHATRAK meter?? rather than Accutrak. Is that correct? I may have a workaround solution for you if this is your dilemma.
 
It's the Alpha Trak. Getting the names confused calling around to pharmacists who keep trying to sell me the human Accu-Chek. It's been a long week.
 
Hope you were able to figure out what to do for strips.


Alene said:
pharmacists who keep trying to sell me the human Accu-Chek.
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This is my preferred meter. I've got 3 or 4 of them. I buy my strips on eBay for them. Been through 5 cats with them. I find it consistent and close to the readings at the vet (ex: 54 on home meter = 61 on vets meter, 177 at home, 203 at vet half hour later. Similar to comparisons to AT readings on same blood drop). My lucky meter :)
 
I heard you can use the "Freestyle LITE" strips for the AlphaTrak as it is made by the SAME company and the strips look the same.. You can probably get those strips easy as they are for human meters....
I had the same problem and after I use up these other meters strips I am off to get these for my AlphaTrak.
 
@Georgie Having thoroughly investigated the FS vs AT strips (checking patents, manufacturing location, assay used in the strips, calling both human and animal divisions of Abbott etc.) I am 99.9% sure the FS srips and AT strips are identical in their physical composition. The AT strips however have been batch tested to determine what code on the AT meter will produce a reading closest to animal lab values. Without the AT code for each vial of FS strips, your results will not be as accurate as those using AT strips with the meter set to the appropriate code. My own cross checking elicited results within 10% of the AT strips. Others have indicated their results were within 5%. The difference may depend on how high or low the reading being compared is.

I am not advocating use of the FS strips in the AT meter, but they will work. If you choose to do so, it is imperative that you have your AT meter set on one of the cat codes (known codes are 08, 37, 38, and 93) to get a reasonably accurate result. Do NOT use the code on the FS strip vial as that is for use only with older FS human meters.

It is also imperative that you keep some AT strips on hand to do baseline checks of your results with the same drop of blood, each time you open a new vial of FS strips or alternately, use AT meter control solution to ensure the strips are readings within the expected range. Also double check any unexpected, especially low FS strip readings using an AT strip.

All meters have an allowed variance in their results of up to +/- 20% and using the FS strips in the AT meter adds another variance into the picture so your results, while in the ballpark, may not be as accurate as is possible.
 
Yes, thanks for that post! I was wondering what with the little butterfly on them. I got the ReliOn Prime, and let me tell you, it takes much more blood to work and I'm convinced the reason they are so cheap is because you run through 3 times the strips. I get a LOT of errors for small blood draws and sometimes I'm not sure why. :) I think since I bought the AT I'll keep using it, and look for the FreeStyle strip to use with it on the 93 setting as I was before. I like how little blood you need for them, my poor boy is looking like a vampire had his way with him. :(
 
I personally love the AT meter specifically because the strips load from the side which I find ergonomically easier than strips that must be loaded at the tip. I leave the sound on (may or may not work with your cat) so I know when the strip has enough blood. I'm not familiar with the Relion Prime. Does the Relion have a sound control on it? Might help if kitty doesn't get spooked, to avoid going through excess strips. I keep a Freestyle Light meter as a backup so in the unlikely case of running out of AT strips, I am always equipped to test. Freestyle meters were having some issues a few years ago but now have a good rating.
 
Fortunately (I guess) my boy who I'm working with is deaf, so the beeps don't bother him. I didn't know they had a beep telling you there was enough blood, I"ll have to play with the features a bit. The poking and prodding does bother him, and now we've got him on some other stuff because his liver values are still off, so every time he sees me he's like "come on, what now." It looks like (fingers crossed) we may be getting the right insulin dose soon, so hopefully everything will calm and I won't have to be testing him quite so frequently. My AT meter loads at the tip but it's just so much easier, because you only need a little poke. Expensive, but I'm having to buy the ReliOn strips twice as much, so I'm not sure I'm not better off with having the AT with the RO as the backup.
 
Linda is referring to the placement of the capillaries on the strips, i.e. where the blood "loads".

The prime takes twice as much blood as alphatrak, it took some getting used to. Now that I'm familiar with the drop size needed, I rarely get an error message.

There are two or three other relion meters that take a similar amount of blood to the alphatrak. Strips that take less blood are more expensive- that's where the price difference comes in. But, they're still less than half the price of AT strips.
 
I think I've seen mention of the Relion Confirm and Micro models needing a smaller sample size than the Prime

Alene said:
I didn't know they had a beep telling you there was enough blood, I"ll have to play with the features a bit.
Click to expand...
  1. With the meter switched off, press and hold M button until SET appears on the display.

  2. Press and release the M button until you see a little bell in the top left hand corner of the display. If it has a line through it that means the beep to confirm enough blood has been collected is switched off. Press C button to turn on the beep (the line through the bell should disappear on the display).

  3. Press and hold the M button to save the change and turn the meter off again.
Fairly sure that's right.



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