Comparative evaluation between two portable glucometers and the enzymatic colorimetric laboratory method in glycemic dosage in horses

Abstract

In the equine clinic, the reference system for measuring blood glucose is the colorimetric enzymatic laboratory method. However, equipment, specific reagent and more time are required to perform it. Due to practicality, portable glucometers have been gaining ground in veterinary medicine, providing the result quickly, facilitating the measurement of blood glucose in the field. Several studies have used portable glucometers to measure blood glucose in horses, however, there are still many controversies about the reliability of their results compared to the enzymatic method. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the use of two portable glucometers for the measurement of blood glucose in horses considering the conventional laboratory test as control. For this purpose, the Wellion GLUCO CALEA® portable veterinary glucometer and the ACCU-CHEK Performa® human portable glucometer were evaluated and compared with the colorimetric enzymatic test. It was concluded that the ACCU-CHEK Performa® glucometer can be used for rapid blood glucose tests in horses.