In Diabetic Medicine: a journal of the British Diabetic Association, the Biosen blood analyser from EKF-Diagnostics is “comparable in accuracy and precision to the reference method BMG and can be used in metabolic tests, while the YSI showed a systematic shift at higher glucose concentrations. Based on these results we decided to replace BMG with EKF instrument in metabolic tests.”
As the YSI 2300D Glucose and Lactate Analyser is no longer available, researchers are choosing the Biosen C-Line to continue their blood analysis.
Blood analyser for lactate measurement in sports performance
Performing blood analysis, or lactate testing, on endurance athletes is essential for understanding an individual’s lactate threshold. By knowing this, a coach can help the athlete improve their performance. The concentration of blood lactate is one of the most common parameters to be measured during exercise testing and performance testing of athletes. Knowing blood lactate levels can help determine training efficiency, as well as, helping to avoid exhaustion from over-training.
In addition to analysing blood lactate, it is also beneficial to analyse blood glucose. This is because while exercising, muscles will require more glucose to supply energy. The Joslin Diabetes Center explains how, during exercise, the liver increases the amount of glucose it releases into the bloodstream. Furthermore, they explain that to enable the muscles to use glucose, it needs insulin. An athlete who is lacking insulin won’t be able to unlock the glucose to the working muscles. Consequently, energy will be lacking. Finally, the unused glucose will back-up in the bloodstream. Thankfully, there are blood analysis devices that not only offer blood analysis, but also glucose measurement.
Blood analysis & glucose testing in medical applications
Stress can elevate levels of lactate and will require clinical investigation to help determine why this is the case. Furthermore, the build-up of glucose within the body can trigger serious health complications including heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and can lead to amputations of limbs.
Lactate measurements are also useful in:
- Obstetrics – monitoring mother and foetus closely for lactate levels provides diagnostics tools for a safe birth.
- Emergency medicine and critical care – pre-admission measurements of lactate are shown to improve the prediction of mortality, post-surgery infection and multi-organ failure associated with sepsis, shock and trauma.
- Diabetes clinics – Biosen’s chip sensor technology provides fast and highly accurate results at a low cost for glucose measurements.
Blood analysis in veterinary applications
Surprisingly, normal levels of lactate are the same for humans and dogs, Therefore, similarly to humans, seeing elevated levels of lactate in dogs indicates underlying pathology requiring investigation. Additionally, blood lactate levels provide an indicator of muscle exertion in horses and analysis is therefore useful in equine athletics. In veterinary applications, a hand-held blood analysis device, such as the Lactate Scout 4, is beneficial. The Lactate Scout offers comparable results to a lab-based analyser, with near-patient, rapid and cost-effective results.
Lab accurate glucose and lactate measurement
A global leader in point-of-care testing and central laboratory manufacturing for medical diagnostics is EKF Diagnostics. Their Biosen range of analysers offers analysis for different scenarios. Furthermore, all Biosen analysers have an interface for connecting to hospital or lab information systems (LIS).
The Biosen C-Line range consists of 2 models: GP+ and Clinic. These are for use in surgeries, sports facilities or clinics that have moderate demands for sample testing.
The Biosen C-Line
The Biosen range of blood analysers is available as single channel glucose systems or as dual-channel systems that can measure lactate at the same time. They test blood, plasma or serum to provide glucose and lactate values with excellent precision (less than 2% CV) over a wide measurement range. Furthermore, they provide efficient data handling, with PC, network and printer connectivity via RS232C interfaces; storage of up to 1,000 results; and integrated Barcode reader as an option. Finally, the C-Line is easy-to-use, has a low operating cost and shows results in just 20-45 seconds (with up to 120 results an hour).
