Evaluation of a veterinary glucometer for use in horses.
Abstract: Glucose assessment and regulation are important factors in the treatment of hospitalized horses and foals. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare glucose measurement by a veterinary glucometer, adjusted by code for use in horses and foals, to a reference chemistry analyzer. It was hypothesized that the veterinary glucometer and reference analyzer would yield similar results and that interpretation of glucose values obtained from a veterinary glucometer would result in clinically appropriate decisions. Methods: Fifty blood samples from adult horses and 50 blood samples from neonatal foals admitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital or Equine Reproduction Laboratory for evaluation. Methods: Glucose concentrations from fresh whole blood samples were evaluated in duplicate with a veterinary glucometer and these values were compared with those obtained with a reference plasma chemistry analyzer. The accuracy of glucometer measurement was evaluated with a Clarke error grid. Results: The veterinary glucometer accurately measured whole blood glucose concentrations in both horses and foals when compared with a reference plasma chemistry analyzer. Nearly 97% of the glucometer values obtained in this study would have resulted in appropriate clinical decisions based on the Clarke error grid analysis. Conclusions: The veterinary glucometer evaluated has potential utility for point-of-care whole blood glucose evaluation in both horses and foals.
Publication Date: 2010-03-10 PubMed ID: 20337908DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0481.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Adult Horses
- Blood
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Foals
- Glucose
- Horses
- Hospitalization
- Laboratory Methods
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Research
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This is a study that looked at the use of a veterinary glucometer in measuring blood glucose levels in horses and foals, comparing the results with those from a reference plasma chemistry analyzer. It concluded that the glucometer was accurate and could thus be reliably used for point-of-care glucose evaluations in horses and foals.
Objective and Hypothesis
- The goal of the research was to assess the feasibility of using a veterinary glucometer, calibrated for horses and foals, in measuring blood glucose levels, and compare the results with those obtained using a reference chemistry analyzer.
- The hypothesis put forth was that the measurements from the veterinary glucometer and the reference analyzer would be closely comparable and utilizing the glucometer would enable making clinically relevant decisions.
Methodology
- A total of 100 blood samples were used in this study – 50 from adult horses and 50 from neonatal foals. These samples were taken from patients admitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital or Equine Reproduction Laboratory.
- The blood glucose concentrations from the fresh whole blood samples were measured twice using a veterinary glucometer.
- These readings were then compared against the values obtained using a reference plasma chemistry analyzer, which is considered a gold standard in clinical laboratory medicine for assessing glucose levels.
- The researchers then used a Clarke error grid to evaluate the accuracy of the glucometer readings. The Clarke error grid is a statistical tool often used to compare the accuracy of estimations made by medical devices.
Results and Conclusions
- The research evidenced that the veterinary glucometer could accurately measure whole blood glucose concentrations in both adult horses and foals, as compared with the reference plasma chemistry analyzer.
- Almost 97% of the glucometer values gathered in this study would have led to making clinically appropriate decisions based on the Clarke error grid analysis.
- In summary, the research concluded that the veterinary glucometer assessed could potentially be useful for point-of-care blood glucose evaluation in both adult horses and foals, thus simplifying and enhancing the quality of equine health care.
Cite This Article
APA
Hackett ES, McCue PM.
(2010).
Evaluation of a veterinary glucometer for use in horses.
J Vet Intern Med, 24(3), 617-621.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0481.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. eileen.hackett@colostate.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / blood
- Blood Chemical Analysis / instrumentation
- Blood Chemical Analysis / veterinary
- Blood Glucose / analysis
- Critical Illness
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horses
- Point-of-Care Systems
Citations
This article has been cited 26 times.- Warnken T, Schaub C, Delarocque J, Frers F, Feige K, Sonntag J, Reiche DB. Palatability, glycemic, and insulinemic responses to various carbohydrate formulations: Alternatives for the diagnosis of insulin dysregulation in horses?. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):282-291.
- de Laat MA, Warnken T, Delarocque J, Reiche DB, Grob AJ, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Sillence MN, Thane KE, Frank N, Brojer J, Lindase S, Sonntag J. Carbohydrate pellets to assess insulin dysregulation in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):302-314.
- Williams NJ, Furr M, Navas de Solis C, Campolo A, Davis M, Lacombe VA. Investigating the Relationship Between Cardiac Function and Insulin Sensitivity in Horses: A Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:899951.
- Timko KJ, Hostnik LD, Watts MR, Chen C, Bercz A, Toribio RE, Belknap JK, Burns TA. Diagnostic evaluation of insulin and glucose dynamics in light-breed horses receiving dexamethasone. Can Vet J 2022 Jun;63(6):617-626.
- Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Snyder HA, Mazur SE, Kamr AM, Burns TA, Mossbarger JC, Toribio RE. Comparison of insulin sensitivity between healthy neonatal foals and horses using minimal model analysis. PLoS One 2022;17(1):e0262584.
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- Perrault JR, Arendt MD, Schwenter JA, Byrd JL, Tuxbury KA, Stacy NI. Comparison of 2 glucose analytical methodologies in immature Kemp's ridley sea turtles: dry chemistry of plasma versus point-of-care glucometer analysis of whole blood. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021 May;33(3):595-599.
- Carslake HB, Pinchbeck GL, McGowan CM. Equine metabolic syndrome in UK native ponies and cobs is highly prevalent with modifiable risk factors. Equine Vet J 2021 Sep;53(5):923-934.
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- Rings LM, Swink JM, Dunbar LK, Burns TA, Toribio RE. Enteroinsular axis response to carbohydrates and fasting in healthy newborn foals. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2752-2764.
- Owens TG, Barnes M, Gargano VM, Julien L, Mansilla WD, Devries TJ, Mcbride BW, Merkies K, Shoveller AK. Nutrient content changes from steaming or soaking timothy-alfalfa hay: effects on feed preferences and acute glycemic response in Standardbred racehorses1. J Anim Sci 2019 Oct 3;97(10):4199-4207.
- Moser K, Banse H. Comparison of the glucose and insulin responses of horses to 2 formulations of corn syrup. Can Vet J 2019 Jun;60(6):637-643.
- Anderson JR, Phelan MM, Clegg PD, Peffers MJ, Rubio-Martinez LM. Synovial Fluid Metabolites Differentiate between Septic and Nonseptic Joint Pathologies. J Proteome Res 2018 Aug 3;17(8):2735-2743.
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- Morley LA, Gomez TH, Goldman JL, Flores R, Robinson MA. Accuracy of 5 Point-of-Care Glucometers in C57BL/6J Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2018 Jan 1;57(1):44-50.
- Mizen K, Woodman J, Boysen SR, Wagg C, Greco-Otto P, Léguillette R, Roy MF. Effect of Dexamethasone on Resting Blood Lactate Concentrations in Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Jan;31(1):164-169.
- Dunbar LK, Mielnicki KA, Dembek KA, Toribio RE, Burns TA. Evaluation of Four Diagnostic Tests for Insulin Dysregulation in Adult Light-Breed Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2016 May;30(3):885-91.
- Palmer AT, Watts MR, Timko KJ, Pinnell EF, Keefer KA, Gorman O, Hostnik LD, Burns TA. Corticosteroid Administration Enhances the Glycemic, Insulinemic, and Incretin Responses to a High-Protein Mixed Meal in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e17305.
- Kemp KL, Yuen NKY, Skinner JE, Bertin FR. Effect of Phenylbutazone Administration on Insulin Sensitivity in Horses With Insulin Dysregulation. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70028.
- Dias Moreira AS, Weng HY, Hostnik LD, Beasley EM, Peek SF, Munsterman AS. Evaluation of point-of-care capillary and venous blood glucose concentrations in hospitalized neonatal foals. J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio) 2024 Nov-Dec;34(6):570-578.
- Velineni S, Schiltz P, Chang KH, Peng YM, Cowles B. Accuracy and validation of a point-of-care blood glucose monitoring system for use in horses. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1436714.
- Hallowell KL, Dembek K, Horne CR, Knych HK, Messenger KM, Schnabel LV. Systemic absorption of triamcinolone acetonide is increased from intrasynovial versus extrasynovial sites and induces hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1388470.
- Kemp KL, Skinner JE, Bertin FR. Effect of phenylbutazone on insulin secretion in horses with insulin dysregulation. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Mar-Apr;38(2):1177-1184.
- Pinnell EF, Hostnik LD, Watts MR, Timko KJ, Thriffiley AA, Stover MR, Koenig LE, Gorman OM, Toribio RE, Burns TA. Effect of 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase agonists on insulin and glucose dynamics in experimentally induced insulin dysregulation in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jan-Feb;38(1):102-110.
- Lovett AL, Gilliam LL, Sykes BW, McFarlane D. Thromboelastography in obese horses with insulin dysregulation compared to healthy controls. J Vet Intern Med 2022 May;36(3):1131-1138.
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