Alternative Site Testing (Ast) - Fora D15 User Manual

ALTERNATIVE SITE TESTING (AST)

Important: There are limitations for doing AST.
Please consult your healthcare professional before you begin AST.
What is AST?
Alternative site testing (AST) refers
to when individuals check their blood
glucose levels using areas of the body
other than fingertip. This system allows
AST at the palm, the forearm, the upper
arm, the calf or the thigh with results as
reliable as those obtained from fingertip
testing.
What's the advantage?
Fingertips feel pain more readily because they are full of nerve
endings (receptors). Since nerve endings are not so condensed at
other body sites, tests performed there will be less painful.
When to use AST?
Food, medication, illness, stress and exercise can affect blood
glucose levels. Capillary blood at the fingertip reflects these changes
faster than capillary blood at other sites. Therefore, when testing
blood glucose during or immediately after a meal or physical exercise,
results from AST and fingertip may be significantly different.
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