Last Updated on August 1, 2021 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
Lancets are part of every test for diabetes patients, even if they perform the test at home or hospital. This sharper needle helps take the blood required by pricking the site from where the sample is acquired.
Why can’t Lancet be Used Twice?
When the lancet is used repeatedly, the sharpness tends to diminish with time; this will cause severe pain in taking blood samples, as it crushes the nerve endings in your fingers. Tips of the lancet also have the chance to bend, causing a deeper wound while puncturing the fingertips.
It is always better to change the lancets after every use as it can have some remains of the blood sample taken. But studies don’t prove that by the reusing of lancets, the patient can get infections.
But most of the users don’t follow the idea of replacing the lancets regularly prefer to use the old lancet for some more tests. At hospitals, each time after using the lancet, it is disposed of properly to avoid using it on other patients.
How to choose the best lancet?
Experts always prefer and recommend the diabetes patients use the new sterile lancet for each use. This is the most hygienic method to do blood sampling safely with glucometers.
Selecting the lancets is essential for each test’s success as it plays a significant role in testing blood glucose levels. There are so many manufacturers introducing their products supporting diabetes test kits.
While purchasing the lancets, the quality of the product must be assured, as the product’s low quality can harm your health. Different types of lancets are available in the market, with varying features attracting more customers.
The users can choose the product according to their requirements and comfortability to use the lancet. Replacing the lancets after using once is advised for clean and secure conditions for testing.
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If you plan to use a pip lancet, then there is no need to worry about the lancing device as it comes along with them. The lancet is compatible with all the other lancing devices, so the user will not have the tiring job of choosing the right device.
When the traditional lancets are used for testing the blood sample, an additional lancing device is required to give results to the user. In some cases, the lancet may not be compatible with every lancing device, which is an issue.
There will be an estimated depth for puncturing to get a blood sample, so the lancet chosen must be shorter than the depth of the lancet penetration, and the depth is increased while the pricking volume of blood increases.
The lancets’ lengths vary according to the manufacturer’s thin lancets are better as thicker ones cause more pain. The user can decide the product based on their requirements; the people’s comfort using lancet is more critical.
How can the diabetes tests have done at home with a lancet?
Diabetes patients are rising in number around us. They have to be very careful regarding the spike in blood glucose levels. Regular monitoring is advised for the patients as they can plan their lifestyle and food habits accordingly.
Testing is a tiring process that consumes more of your time waiting for your turn in hospitals. You can avoid this process as we have numerous glucometers available in the market, assisting patients in knowing their blood sugar levels at home.
The effect of diabetes is different for individuals. Some may not have high levels and could be controlled easily. But some others may need to test more than once a day, which is possible by using the lancets at home.
Self-monitoring of the diabetes levels helps you to maintain control by making changes in your treatment. Lancet is vital in testing the blood sample as it is used to prick at the fingertip.
Most of the glucometers used to come with a lancet, test strips, and glucometer; even some have the facility to store previous tests. If you use the set properly following the instructions, then the results obtained will be accurate.
To get proper results, the test should be conducted at the right time rather than randomly. The usual timings for diabetes tests are before and after the meal; it gives a clear-cut value of the blood sugar levels.
The test must be completed in clean condition, so the patient should wash hands neatly as a first step. Lancet is inserted into the lancing device to perform the diabetes test.
The patient’s fingertip is pricked using the lancet, which gives you a drop of the blood sample placed into a new strip. Results of the content of blood glucose are obtained at a faster rate in these glucometers.
Lancets used for testing diabetes can be traditional or pip, but it is always better to replace them after each use. This ensures clean conditions for the patients and also doesn’t affect the device from giving results.
How to purchase the best lancet?
Purchasing the lancets significantly impacts the interest of the people, also based on their requirements. Lancets are widely used in testing the blood sample as the standard needles can cause more pain to the user.
Several brands of lancets are available for purchase, which may confuse the users, so a thorough study about the features of each can help in the right selection. Variations will be there for the gauges of needles used, always better to use small needles.
You can know the blood glucose levels of the patient when the lancets are used following the instructions. Different types of lancets are available; some come with other beneficial features.
The price of the lancets is affordable to most users, but some patients will have to check their diabetes levels more than once a day. It would not be easy to use different lancets each time they test the blood sample.
There is no evidence of getting infected by reusing the lancets in the same person for testing. It is good to replace the lancets after every use, not use them more than once for checking diabetes levels.
Lancets are available in the stores nearby you, but most people may prefer purchasing them online due to various options. They can even get offers for some brand lancets saving more money for the user.
Conclusion
Lancets are of great use as only a small amount of blood is taken from the person for further testing. If needles or some other tools are used, the cut can be deep, creating more blood than required in the sample.
Different types of lancets are available in the stores designed by various manufactures with better quality. The healthier side of using lancets is to replace them after every use.
Most people think that it costs them more to get each lancet for every use, so they prefer using the same lancet for multiple tests. Even though there are no proven chances for infections, some other demerits are there for reusing the lancet.
The sharpening effect of the lancet may reduce; also, the needle tip has a chance to bend, causing the cut to go deeper. To avoid such situations, it is always better to use a new lancet each time for testing.
While using the lancets, the depth of skin to be punctured can be adjusted early to complete the diabetes test securely. Get multiple lancets at your home to correctly monitor the values and to regulate your lifestyle accordingly.
References
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1932296814533172
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1499267111530126
- https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pdi.1960130212
- https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.719557692817258
- https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/15209150050501952
- https://www.ajpe.org/content/79/1/05.abstract
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3810/pgm.2011.07.2308
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00592-013-0521-7
- https://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(09)00189-2/fulltext
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/38/Supplement_1/S80
