User Manual

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conditions only.
What is Alternate Site Testing?
Alternate Site Testing (AST) is blood glucose selfmonitoring using a blood sample collected from
somewhere other than the fingertips. The Wireless Smart GlucoMonitoring System (BG5) allows you
to test on the palm, forearm, upper arm, calf, or thigh with equivalent results to fingertip testing.
What is the Advantage of Alternative Site Testing?
Pain is felt more readily on the fingertips because they are full of nerve endings (receptors). At other
body sites where nerve endings are not so condensed, pain is not felt as acutely.
When to Use Alternative Site Testing?
Food, medication, illness, stress and exercise can affect blood glucose levels. Capillary blood from the
fingertips reflects these changes faster than capillary blood from other sites. Therefore, when testing
blood glucose levels during or immediately after one of these , such as meals or exercise, take a blood
sample from your fingertips only. AST should be done only during steadystate times when glucose
levels are not changing rapidly.