Lancet Devices: Where Diabetes Companies are Missing It!

Recently, I've had this talk with people on both sides of the fence (developer and user) of lancet devices. I was trying to bridge a gap that diabetes companies seem to be overlooking. You would think that, with all the focus groups and genius marketing departments in operation for some of these large diabetes care companies - they would truly be able to empathize with the plight of the user and make subtle changes to lancet products that cause the user more comfort. However, only one company seems to have done this, Life Scan. In my discussions with diabetics, the most thing that keeps people from testing their blood glucose is the pain associated with testing. This relates directly to the lancet/lancet device combination used to produce the blood for the test strip. You can have the coolest meter in the world with all the features known to man, but no one will use it if it's use causes excessive pain. And for individuals, such as myself, who test a minimum of 6 times a day - I greatly appreciate a company taking the time to crack the code associated with painful testing. You see while each company has their version of the click depth lancet device. That is, a lancet device that allows the user to change the depth that the needle will penetrate their skin (be it arm or finger) by effectively clicking the device to change the penetration depth. That, in and of itself, is not the primary factor governing the level of pain experienced by most users. What was found to be more effective when speaking to individuals in the circles in which I travel was decreasing the physical size of the needle. I was so intrigued with this revelation that I chose 3 systems to experiment with and produce my own results to report. The 3 systems I used in my testing were the Accu-Chek Multiclix by Roche Diagnostics:

the Freestyle by Abbott:

 and the One Touch Delica by Life Scan:

I must say that my results were far from surprising. The One Touch Delica, which sports the smallest needle of all these lancet devices, 33 gauge - was the winner by far. Second, was the Multiclix by Roche Diagnostics which boasts a 30 gauge needle. And last, was the Freestyle by Abbott which boasts an almost javelin like needle at 28 gauge. If you've noticed, higher gauge = smaller needle size. I almost also feel compelled to add that the penetration depth selected was seemingly irrelevant. What I mean by that is, if you increase the penetration depth (by using a higher number on the click parameter) more pain is experienced when the needle pierces the skin. This is a uniform experience regardless of the device used. But the smaller needle on the lancet always caused less pain, regardless of setting comparisons.


So, if pain is the regulatory factor for the amount of blood glucose testing you do, as a diabetic, I suggest trying the system with the smallest needle (One Touch Delica). Please, don't be fooled, nothing says you have to use the lancet device made by the company of the meter you use to test. I have a Freestyle meter built into my insulin pump, but I use an Accu-Chek Aviva meter with One Touch Delica lancets. Mix and match to achieve what you need personally, whether it be financial or physical.