Quick, Reliable – and Easy-to-Use
Blood glucose monitoring can save lives
Over 180 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide, according to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), and there are fears that this figure could double by 2030. Diabetes is more than a chronic metabolic disorder: over a million people died of the consequences of the disease in 2005, the WHO says.
Monitoring blood glucose levels can thus save lives. It is important that the people affected are able to measure their own blood sugar lev-els: to regularly monitor the impact of meals, to determine the right moment to administer insulin, or to relieve uncertainties about sporting activities. Easy-to-handle blood glucose meters can help here. Ames, a division of Miles Laboratories later taken over by Bayer, was the pioneer that launched the first portable blood glucose meter in 1969.
A lot has happened since then. The devices have become better and more efficient. Today, blood glucose meters are very handy, user-friendly, quick, reliable – even stylish. Bayer HealthCare has repeatedly been the source of key innovations in this field. The latest Contour® model is no exception: it also includes new features and high-lights.
Very small blood sample
0.6 microliters of blood. Less than one 1500th of a milliliter. A tiny pinhead. This is all the new Contour® needs to determine the blood sugar level, i.e. amount of glucose in the blood. Compared to previous models, therefore, this device has further lowered the amount of blood needed for each measurement.
Faster than ever before
30 seconds – the time taken by some blood sugar meters to display their results – can feel like a very long time. Users of the latest Contour® don't need to be that patient. The meter only takes five seconds to determine the concentration of glucose in the blood, meaning faster certainty for the user. Contour® also excludes so-called cross-reactions, which can distort readings.
Very practical: no coding
Every batch of test strips is different. For this reason, glucose meters have to be recalibrated every time the first test strip is loaded from a new pack. This means entering the specific code that is assigned to the test strip. On many devices, the user has to enter this code into the meter every time by hand. Studies have shown that one in six patients either forget to do this or make mistakes when entering the code (Raine, C. H. Endo Prac 9: p. 137, 2003). This has consequences: a wrongly calibrated meter can show incorrect readings. This is a problem for people with diabetes, because they calculate their next dose of insulin on the basis of the blood sugar level measured. If the worst comes to the worst, there can be health complications. Study results to this effect were published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology as recently as March 2007 (Raine CH, Schrock LE, Edelman SV, et al.: "Significant insulin dose errors may occur if blood glucose results are obtained from miscoded meters." J Diabetes Sci Tech-nol. 2007; 1: 205-210).
Bayer HealthCare has therefore introduced no-coding technology for its blood glucose meters, including the Contour®. The code no longer has to be entered manually; it is automatically recognized by the device when the test strip is inserted. An important additional safety feature for the user!
Larger memory
Diabetics are often interested not only in the current blood sugar level, but also in its development over time. For this reason, Contour® stores up to 480 readings and calculates statistical averages when required. It also shows the highest and lowest levels of the past seven days.
Simple operation
In any device that is used several times every day, user-friendliness is also an issue alongside technical performance. We have taken the lead here by making the Contour® especially easy to operate. Only three keys are needed to control all the functions. The simple menu is supported by the display. Another advantage of Contour® is how well it fits into the user's hand.
Test result: 'very good'!
Contour® is already on the market in some countries – and has been very successful. In Germany, for example, it was the best-selling blood glucose meter in the summer of 2007. It has also already won its first accolade: the German consumer foundation Stiftung Warentest gave the Contour® a quality rating of "very good" (1.4), the best of the 13 devices tested, in spring 2007 (test magazine, no. 4 / 2007). The meter's excellent level of accuracy and the small amount of blood needed for each test were seen as its decisive advantages.
Advice for patients
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