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SAFETY AND PRECAUTIONS
• Alternative site testing may be performed from your forearm, upper arm,
palm (ventral palm or dorsal hand), fingertips, thigh or calf.
• Under certain conditions, blood glucose test results obtained using
samples taken from your alternative sites may differ significantly from
fingertip samples.
• The conditions in which these differences are more likely to occur
is when your blood glucose is changing rapidly following a meal, an
insulin dose, or physical exercise.
• When blood glucose is changing rapidly, fingertip samples show these
changes more quickly than alternative sites samples.
• When your blood glucose is falling, testing with a fingertip sample may
identify a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) level sooner than a test with
an alternative site sample.
• Use alternative sites samples only for testing prior to or more than two
hours after a meal, insulin doses, or physical exercise.
• Testing performed within two hours after meals, insulin doses, or
physical exercise or whenever you feel your glucose levels may be
changing rapidly should be done from the fingertip.
• Always use fingertip testing whenever you have a concern about
hypoglycemia (insulin reactions) particularly if you suffer from
hypoglycemic unawareness (lack of symptom to indicate as insulin
reaction), as forearm testing may fail to detect hypoglycemia.
• Alternative site testing results should never be used to calibrate
continuous glucose monitors.
• Alternative site results should never be used for insulin dosing
calculations.
• Sampling from your upper arm, forearm, dorsal hand, ventral palm,
thigh, or calf allows you to use your fingertips less often.
Ventral Palm/Dorsal Hand
Choose a fleshy area of the forearm, upper arm, thigh, or calf away from
Choose a fleshy area on the palm, below your
thumb or pinky finger. Select a spot without any
visible veins and away from any deep lines. This
may cause your blood sample to smear.
Forearm
Calf
Upper arm
Thigh
