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PubMed1999

Comparison of the sedation and recovery profiles of Ro 48-6791, a new benzodiazepine, and midazolam in combination with meperidine for outpatient endoscopic procedures.

UNLABELLED: In this randomized, double-blinded study, we compared the onset and recovery characteristics of an investigational benzodiazepine, Ro 48-6791 (when administered alone or combined with meperidine), a midazolam-meperidine combination for sedation during gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures. Ninety consenting outpatients scheduled for upper or lower GI procedures were randomly assigned as follows: Group I received midazolam 1 mg IV and meperidine 50 mg; Group II received Ro 48-6791 0.5 mg IV and meperidine 50 mg; or Group III received Ro 48-6791 1.0 mg IV alone. If the level of sedation did not achieve an Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAA/S) score of 4 (where 5 = awake/alert to 1 = asleep) in < or = 2 min, a second bolus dose, equal to half of the original dose of midazolam or Ro 48-6791, was administered. The onset time was defined as the time to achieve an OAA/S score of 4. During the procedure, a bolus dose equal to half of the total induction dose was given to maintain an OAA/S score of 4. The induction and maintenance dosages, as well as recovery times to an OAA/S score of 5, were recorded. A heel-toe line walk (HTLW) test used to determine the time to "fitness for discharge." Although the onset times were similar in all three groups, the induction dosages were significantly reduced in Group II compared with Groups I and III. There were significantly more patients requiring supplemental sedative boluses and "rescue" analgesia with Ro 48-6791 than with midazolam. The Ro 48-6791 groups also experienced more dizziness after the procedures. Ro 48-6791 was associated with a higher incidence of inadequate sedation (18% vs 3%) without the opioid. The time for the HTLW test to return to baseline values after the procedure was similar among the three groups. However, the Ro 48-6791 groups had significantly reduced times to return to an OAA/S score of 5 and to achieve the baseline HTLW value after the last dose of the benzodiazepine. In conclusion, compared with midazolam, Ro 48-6791 is more potent and may be associated with a more rapid early recovery after endoscopic GI procedures. However, sedation with Ro 48-6791 required more supplemental bolus doses and "rescue" analgesic medication and was associated with a higher incidence of dizziness. IMPLICATIONS: The investigational water-soluble benzodiazepine, Ro 48-6791, is a more potent sedative than midazolam, which appears to have a slightly shorter duration of action. Unfortunately, use of Ro 48-6791 increased the requirement for supplemental doses of the sedative medication and the need for "rescue" analgesics during the procedure and was associated with more dizziness after the procedure.

Adjuvants, Anesthesia↗
PubMed1988

Combined plastic and gynecological surgical procedures.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which the planned combination of one of several major plastic and gynecological surgical procedures may alter patient morbidity and postoperative hospitalization when compared with similar procedures carried out separately. A review of 10 consecutive years of operative procedures produced 63 patients who underwent combined gynecological and plastic surgical procedures. Thirty-three of the combined-surgery patients could be suitably matched with 2 control patients each to compare complications and length of hospital stay. The requirement for transfusion was significantly greater (p = 0.01) in the combined-surgery versus the paired-control groups. No other complications, however, were increased in the combined-surgery patients. There was a significant reduction (p = 0.005) in hospital stay of 1.92 postoperative days for two groups of combined-surgery patients versus the control groups. In all combined-surgery patients, patient response was favorable. Recommendations on preoperative planning and intraoperative and postoperative management are discussed. There is a perception in the surgical community that combining procedures unacceptably increases morbidity. For the past 12 years plastic and gynecological surgeons in our institution have offered combined procedures to our patients, with positive results and favorable patient response. A search of recent medical literature demonstrated several references to the planned combination of plastic and gynecological or general surgical procedures [2, 4, 5]. However, the only study with matched control patients dealt exclusively with abdominoplasty in association with one of five major gynecological procedures.

Blood Transfusion↗
PubMed2001

One- or two-stage procedure for restorative proctocolectomy: rationale for a surgical strategy in ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of different strategies for restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in ulcerative colitis. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: No commonly accepted criteria exist for choosing between the one-stage or the two-stage procedure (with or without temporary diverting ileostomy) for IPAA. The authors analyzed the outcome of patients principally suitable for either of the two alternative surgical strategies. METHODS: A matched-pair control study was performed, comparing surgical details and the early and late outcome of the one-stage (study group, n = 57) versus the two-stage procedure (control group, n = 114), for IPAA. RESULTS: No differences were found between the study group and the control group regarding the matching criteria gender, median age at IPAA, systemic corticoid medication, or activity of colitis. Comparing the patients who underwent a one-stage procedure with those who underwent a two-stage procedure, the proportion of patients without complications was significantly higher (P =.0042) and the frequency of late complications was significantly lower (P =.0022) in patients who underwent the one-stage procedure. The percentage of patients with anastomotic strictures was significantly higher in the control group than in the study group (P =.0022). No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding early complications, pouch-related septic complications, pouchitis, median duration of surgery for IPAA, median blood loss, need for transfusion, or median hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ulcerative colitis in whom there is a choice between a one-stage procedure or a two-stage procedure with a defunctioning ileostomy, the one-stage procedure is clearly superior. This finding is of great clinical relevance both for the subjective interests of the patient and from an economic point of view.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Payment for procedural sedation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As surgical procedures become less invasive and medical procedures become more invasive, the role of procedural sedation has become more important. The resulting proliferation of settings for procedural sedation and providers rendering sedation has brought attention to the economics of this service from nonanesthesia specialists and payers. Rapidly escalating expenditures for sedation have led to scrutiny from public and private insurance carriers. The review will summarize these trends and predict changes in coding and payment for procedural sedation. RECENT FINDINGS: Changes in coding for sedation by proceduralists have raised questions about the value of procedural sedation that have implications for anesthesiologists and other specialists administering sedatives for their own or others' procedures. The emerging literature on the role of registered nurses in administering new sedative agents has led to a re-examination of the role of anesthesiologists and other physicians in providing this care. Workforce projections demonstrating an ongoing shortage of anesthesia and nursing personnel have created a dilemma about the availability of professionals to meet the growing need for sedation. A proliferation of Medicare medical necessity rules may limit the availability of payment for monitored anesthesia care in many settings. SUMMARY: Coding, payment rules and fees for procedural sedation are likely to change in the coming 2-5 years. Those responsible for providing such services must consider the economic, clinical and workforce issues underlying these changes when planning to undertake or expand a commitment to sedation.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new procedure for stable quantification of endotoxin in dialysate fluid using Limulus reagent.

For reliable determination of endotoxin, the activation of enzymes in lysate before measurement should be prevented, and the authors have designed a new procedure to effect this by dissolving the enzymes in lysate in a buffer solution of low pH. A given amount of the enzymes in lysate was dissolved in a lower pH buffer solution (pH 6.1-6.3) and the substrate was dissolved in a higher pH buffer solution (pH 8.0). After standing for 0-24 hr, both solutions were mixed with the sample solution. Data on blank absorbance and calibration line slope obtained by the new procedure were compared with those obtained by the conventional procedure. In the conventional procedure, blank absorbance increased with standing time, reaching approximately seven times the initial value in 24 hr, whereas in the improved procedure, it increased by 1.5 times at a standing time of 3 hr, after which it was independent of standing time. The change in slope of the calibration line with standing time was more gradual in the improved procedure than in the conventional procedure. The authors conclude that the activation of enzymes in lysate can be prevented by dissolving the enzymes in a buffer solution of low pH, and that this procedure is effective for long-term monitoring of endotoxin concentration.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Do patient and physician expectations predict response to pain-relieving procedures?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships between patient and physician pretreatment expectations of pain relief and subsequent pain relief reported by chronic pain patients immediately after treatment. DESIGN: Prospective study of consecutive patients undergoing a procedure in a pain clinic for treatment of chronic pain. Patients rated their current pain level and their expectation of pain relief immediately prior to undergoing a procedure (e.g., intravenous drug infusion, nerve block) for the treatment of chronic pain. Simultaneously and independently, the treating physician completed a similar questionnaire. At completion of the procedure, patients rated their current pain level and degree of pain relief. SETTING: University of Washington Multidisciplinary Pain Center procedure suite. PATIENTS: Forty-six consecutive chronic pain patients. INTERVENTION: Intravenous drug infusions and nerve blocks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Current pain and pain relief ratings. RESULTS: Patients' pain relief expectation ratings were not correlated significantly with their postprocedure pain relief ratings or pre-post procedure changes in pain ratings. However, a statistically significant correlation was found between physician expectations of pain relief and patient pain relief ratings and patient pre-post procedure changes in pain. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that physicians are better predictors than are patients of patients responses to these procedures and/or that physicians may somehow subtly communicate their expectations to patients during the procedure, and these expectations then influence patient response. Patient pretreatment expectations may not always play a significant role in nonspecific treatment effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Identification of middle ear dysfunction in young children: a comparison of tympanometric screening procedures.

Two acoustic immittance screening procedures were evaluated in conjunction with pneumatic otoscopy, performed by a pediatric otolaryngologist. The subjects were 204 3- and 4-yr-old children from a rural area in eastern North Carolina. Pass-fail criteria were examined using two middle ear screening procedures: (1) a "traditional" procedure based on measures of tympanometric peak pressure and acoustic reflexes, and (2) the tympanometric measures contained within the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) revised Guidelines for Screening for Hearing Impairment and Middle Ear Disorders. The traditional procedure resulted in low specificity but high sensitivity, whereas ASHA's immittance procedure resulted in high specificity but only moderate sensitivity. The negative predictive value was very high for both procedures; however, positive predictive value was low, especially for the traditional procedure. Advantages and disadvantages of the two procedures and future research needs are discussed.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1994

Longitudinal, expert, all data procedure for psychiatric diagnosis in patients with psychoactive substance use disorders.

The Longitudinal, Expert, All Data (LEAD) procedure has been proposed as a criterion for the assessment of the procedural validity of diagnostic instruments. The authors evaluated the procedure's test-retest reliability and whether it enhanced diagnosis based on a single interview. Data were collected using interviews and questionnaires to assess current and lifetime substance use disorders and common comorbid disorders in 100 patients recruited from a substance abuse treatment program. An initial diagnostic interview was conducted by a primary expert who, at the end of treatment, formulated LEAD diagnoses for each patient, based on the results of the research assessment and all available clinical records. Secondary experts used a similar procedure in a subsample of 40 patients to provide a measure of test-retest reliability. Overall reliability of LEAD diagnoses was good, though it varied from excellent for substance use disorders to poor for some comorbid psychiatric disorders. As a consequence of the LEAD procedure, the total number of substance use diagnoses increased significantly, with no effect on diagnostic reliability. Based on these findings, we conclude that, while the overall reliability of the LEAD procedure is comparable to other diagnostic methods, there was considerable variability among groups of diagnoses. The additional cost of the procedure would appear to be justified only when diagnostic sensitivity is at a premium and principally for the diagnosis of psychoactive substance use disorders. Before it is widely used as a diagnostic criterion measure, the utility of the LEAD procedure should be evaluated in a variety of patient samples and under varying circumstances.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Cerebrospinal fluid shunt complications after urological procedures in children with myelodysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: Invasive urological procedures, commonly performed on patients with myelodysplasia, may contribute to the occurrence of cerebrospinal fluid shunt complications. Shunt complications that occurred after urological procedures in children with myelodysplasia were studied. METHODS: Shunt complications occurring after urological procedures were examined in 29 patients. Differences between patients with or without complications were studied. Complications were analyzed according to the location of abnormality, the treatment, and the timing after shunt and urological surgery. RESULTS: The 1-year incidence of shunt complications after a urological procedure had been performed was 31% (overall incidence, 41.4%). Shunt complications were observed only after intraperitoneal urological procedures. Most complications were distal, occurring more than 1 year after the preceding shunt surgery. The patients in the shunt complications group had significantly more intraperitoneal urological procedures (3.2 versus 0.8, P = 0.004) and previous shunt revisions (2.0 versus 0.9, P = 0.015) than had the group without complications. As compared with the group of patients with extraperitoneal complications, the intraperitoneal group experienced significantly more infections (4 of 9 versus 0 of 10, P = 0.014) requiring more complex treatment, and their complications occurred significantly earlier in the follow-up period after the urological procedure had been performed (7.2 versus 27.3 mo, P = 0.006). The patients in the group with extraperitoneal complications experienced significantly more mechanical shunt malfunctions than did the intraperitoneal group (9 of 10 versus 4 of 9, P = 0.016), which required simple shunt revisions. CONCLUSION: Patients with spina bifida and shunted hydrocephalus may have an increased risk of developing intraperitoneal shunt complications after intraperitoneal urological procedures have been performed. These intraperitoneal shunt complications usually occur a few months after urological surgery and require complex treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Study of Medicare beneficiary complaint procedures.

New procedures for reviewing a sample of Medicare beneficiary complaints about quality of care are compared with traditional procedures at a peer review organization (PRO) for 1998-1999. These new procedures included: (1) expanded communications with complainants and providers, (2) changed data collection methods, (3) integrated concurrent review findings from other agencies, (4) expedited review procedures, and (5) changed the medical review procedures. The findings showed improved beneficiary satisfaction with the new procedures over the traditional procedures and shorter time periods for processing the reviews. Even with the new procedures, beneficiaries continued to be concerned that the review time frames were too lengthy, the reviews generally failed to confirm their complaints, and the PROs generally did not disclose the findings to the beneficiaries.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

A Primary Care Clinician's and Consultant's Guide to Medicating for Pain and Anxiety Associated with Outpatient Procedures.

This article offers clinical suggestions for the design of a patient-specific outpatient treatment plan for managing and reducing short-term pain associated with outpatient procedures. These procedures may actually produce pain, or they may be perceived as causing pain and anxiety. The article will also focus on the design of a patient-specific outpatient treatment plan for managing and reducing short-term procedural-induced anxiety, as perceived pain and anxiety or pain and anxiety themselves may be a reason for which patients are noncompliant with their office visits. The treatment plan will focus on pre-procedure, peri-procedure, and post-procedure interventions using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anxiolytics (benzodiazepines, opiate agonists, and sedative hypnotics). The plan also includes adjuvant therapy to decrease the patient's perception of pain, anxiety, fear of procedure, and fear of outcomes in order to facilitate a higher degree of compliance with office procedures. This article also accounts for the patient's physiology, pathophysiology, pathology, and iatrogenic effects from drug treatment plans.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

A statewide survey of ECT policies and procedures.

The 1990 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Task Force Recommendations include facility policy and procedure guidelines. The objectives of this study were to determine and to improve the adherence to the 1990 APA ECT Task Force Recommendations on policies and procedures among the providers of ECT in Louisiana. Completed surveys on ECT policy and procedures were obtained from the seven major Louisiana ECT providers from the last quarter of 1996. Project coordinators distributed copies of the survey results and a comprehensive set of ECT policies and procedures at a statewide meeting of participating hospitals during the spring of 1997. Most facilities had policies for electrical safety of ECT equipment, testing of new ECT equipment, pre-ECT work-up, ECT informed consent, patient instruction sheets, outpatient ECT, documentation of ECT procedures, clinical privileging, and ECT quality assurance monitoring. Subsequent telephone follow-up found that all participants changed their policies and procedures as a result of the project. Louisiana ECT providers showed general compliance with the facility policy and procedure aspects of the 1990 APA ECT Task Force Recommendations. The awareness model of guideline compliance was applicable to improving facility policies and procedures.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2004

Medical staff attitudes toward family presence during pediatric procedures.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate health care providers' perceived advantages and disadvantages of family member presence (FMP) for a wide spectrum of procedures in the pediatric emergency department. SETTING: Urban tertiary care children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Pediatric emergency department faculty and nurses, pediatric residents. METHODS: In a written survey, participants rated approval of FMP for 9 procedures: intravenous (IV) placement, urinary catheterization, suturing, lumbar puncture, fracture reduction, chest tube placement, endotracheal intubation, medical resuscitation, and trauma resuscitation. Respondents listed advantages and disadvantages of FMP for patients, families, and staff. RESULTS: 71% (104/146) of the surveys were completed. Attending physicians and nurses provided similarly high approval rating for less invasive procedures, with a decrement in approval for more invasive or life-threatening situations. Attending physicians and nurses were more likely than residents to approve FMP for all procedures except IV placement, suturing, and urinary catheterization, which had similar approval rates for all respondents. Commonly expressed potential advantages were ability to calm the patient, decreased parental "helplessness," and increased parental knowledge that everything was done. Disadvantages included higher anxiety in room, disturbing parental memories, and detriment to success of the procedure. Medical-legal concerns, mistrust of providers, and more difficult teaching environment were uncommonly listed as disadvantages. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency department staff support FMP for minor procedures, yet express concern regarding the effects of this practice on the family and the success of the procedure. Most attending physicians and nurses support FMP during highly invasive procedures and resuscitations, whereas residents do not. This information provides insight into the educational and systematic requirements of implementation of FMP.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A prospective, symptom related, outcomes analysis of 1022 palliative procedures for advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate surgical procedures performed with palliative intent. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: There is a paucity of outcomes data necessary to allow sound surgical decision-making and informed consent for palliative procedures. METHODS: Procedures to palliate symptoms of advanced cancer were identified prospectively from all operations performed. Patients were observed for >90 days or until death. RESULTS: There were 1022 palliative procedures performed in 823 patients from July 2002 to June 2003. Operative (713/1022) or endoscopic (309/1022) procedures were performed for gastrointestinal obstruction (34%), neurologic symptoms (23%), pain (12%), dyspnea (9%), jaundice (7%) or other symptoms (15%). Symptom improvement or resolution within 30 days was achieved in 80% (659/823). Median duration of symptom control was 135 days. Recurrence of the primary symptom occurred in 25% (165/659) while treatment of debilitating additional symptoms was required in 29% (191/659). Palliative procedures were associated with 30-day postoperative morbidity (29%) and mortality (11%). A major postoperative complication reduced the probability of symptom improvement to 17%. Median survival was 194 days from the time of the palliative procedure and was adversely associated with poor performance status (ECOG > or = 2 [P < 0.001] or NCI fatigue score of > or =1 [P < 0.001]), poor nutrition (albumin <3.5 [P = 0.005] or significant weight loss [P = 0.003]), and no previous cancer therapy (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In carefully selected patients, relief of symptoms following palliative procedures can be expected, but new or recurrent symptoms limit durability. Potential benefits are minimized by postoperative complications and are less predictable for patients with poor performance status, malnutrition and no prior cancer therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Differential effect of right and left basal ganglionic infarctions on procedural learning.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of ischemic infarctions affecting the basal ganglia (BG) region on a series of procedural learning tasks. BACKGROUND: The basal ganglia hypothesis of procedural learning is a matter of debate. As most of the relevant research so far is based on examination of patients suffering from Parkinson disease, this inconsistency might reflect either lesion heterogeneity existing in this pathologic group or the heterogeneity of the procedural learning tasks. METHOD: Twelve patients with lesions confined to the right (BGr), 10 to the left (BGI) BG region, and 15 matched controls participated in the study. Three procedural learning tasks were used: Tower of Hanoi Puzzle, Mirror Reading, and Porteus Mazes. Declarative memory and general intelligence were also tested. RESULTS: Verbal declarative memory was impaired in the BG1 group. For each procedural learning task, baseline performance and learning rate were analyzed. Tower of Hanoi Puzzle: Baseline performance of the BG1 group was impaired compared with the other groups. The BGr group was the only group that did not improve over learning trials. MR: Baseline performance of the BGr group was impaired compared with the other groups. The groups' learning rate did not differ significantly. Porteus Mazes: Baseline performance of both patient groups was impaired compared with that of the control group. Learning rate over repetitive trials of the same maze was impaired in the BGr group. However, the transfer of procedural learning to a newly exposed maze was impaired in the BG1 group. CONCLUSIONS: First, right and left basal ganglia play different roles in different procedural learning tasks. Second, procedural learning is not a unitary capacity subserved by any single neural mechanism.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Cerebrovascular response of closed head-injured patients to a standardized endotracheal tube suctioning and manual hyperventilation procedure.

The purposes of this research were to assess the cerebrovascular response of closed head-injured patients to a standardized endotracheal tube suctioning/manual hyperventilation (ETTS/MH) procedure and determine if a 5-minute rest period, following the ETTS/MH procedure, was sufficient in length to allow cerebrovascular parameters to return to pre-intervention levels. The sample consisted of 49 head-injured patients, 18 with a baseline mean intracranial pressure (MICP) of 7.1 mm Hg, standard error (SE) .6, and 31 with a baseline MICP of 9.3 mm Hg, SE .6. A total of 145 ETTS/MH procedures were completed, 51 within the lower baseline MICP group and 94 within the higher baseline MICP group. All data were collected within 72 hours of injury using a bedside component of the Hewlett-Packard Patient Monitoring System (H-P PMS). Computer programs written specifically for this research recorded physiologic data at specified points during baseline, throughout the ETTS/MH procedure and during the recovery period. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine whether significant differences occurred over time during the baseline, intervention and recovery periods for each dependent variable. Significant F statistics were followed by nonorthogonal, multivariate planned comparisons using the Bonferroni posthoc test to identify significant differences between baseline and each 15 second measurement of all physiologic variables during the ETTS/MH procedure and at the end of each recovery minute over a 5-minute period. Independent t tests were used to assess between group differences at each data point throughout the procedure. Findings indicated those patients whose baseline MICP was most elevated demonstrated significantly (p less than .05) lower mean arterial blood pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, and heart rate in response to the ETTS/MH procedure when compared to those patients with a lower baseline MICP. Additionally, 60 seconds of MH was required in both patient groups following the second and third suctioning catheter pass in order to reverse a step-wise increase in MICP. Finally, at least 2 full minutes of recovery time following the completion of the ETTS/MH procedure were required to allow all measured physiologic variables to return to baseline.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Preliminary evaluation of the efficacy and implementation of the new NHS complaints procedure.

The increase (28.8 per cent) in the number of complaints from pre-New NHS Complaints Procedure to the implementation of the new procedures in 1996 is a matter of concern because it is estimated that the current figure represents only 40 per cent of the number of people with some dissatisfaction. The Wilson Report prompted Government initiatives in producing a new NHS Complaints Procedure. The new procedure allows for complaints to be dealt with at a local level, or in a minority of cases through Independent Review. The new procedures, which were introduced in April 1996, oblige Trusts, GP practices and Health Boards to establish a Written Local Resolution process for handling complaints, responsibility for implementation lying with individual trusts. A preliminary assessment of the New Procedures was carried out in Lothian. A qualitative approach was utilised and semi-structured taped interviews lasting on average one hour ten minutes were administered to the six complaints officers. This study concentrates on how the six Lothian NHS Trusts are implementing the new procedure, the openness in complaints handling, and the awareness of how complaints can be used to improve standards. The conclusion is that Local Resolution 1 has been successful, and that complaints do receive a speedy response. The process is much simpler and easier for the lay population to access. Reservations remain, however, towards the Independent Review procedure.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1975

Dipping procedure for blood glucose determination with Dextrostix and the Eyetone reflectance meter. Assessment of a practical technique.

A dipping procedure for blood glucose determination with the Dextrastix-Eyetone system has been evaluated. The procedure involves the immersion of the Dextrostix reagent area for 1 min in a tube of whole blood followed by wash, blotting and reading as in the regular procedure. Sixty-five blood samples, covering a wide glucose concentration range, were estimated for their glucose content in random order both by the dipping procedure and a conventional Dextrostix-Eyetone procedure. An almost perfect agreement between the two methods was found, the coefficient of correlation being 0.99 and the regression line very close to the ideal line. The presence of a Dextrostix reagent area in the blood was found to bring about glycolysis. Except at high blood glucose levels, this glycolysis, however, was insignificant if the strip was correctly removed after 1 min. The dipping procedure overcomes the main technical problem of conventional procedures: the inconsistency of the drop application on the reagent area. As it is easy to perform and a reliable alternative to conventional procedures, it is recommendable in all cases where blood samples are available.

Blood Glucose↗