Overestimation by a Hand-Held Glucometer of Blood Glucose Level due to Icodextrin

摘要

It is often difficult to determine the cause of changes in mental status in critically ill patients. Clinicians often rely on data collected by various means - such as medical history, physical examination, imaging, laboratory tests - to help diagnose the condition. However, laboratory data can be misleading. Caregivers should be aware of conditions that might falsely change the results. In the following case we describe such a discrepancy in a handheld glucometer, a widely used device that is usually accurate.