Until now, diabetics were limited to checking their glucose levels by sticking their fingers, or other areas of their body, in order to retrieve a blood sample. Now, researchers are working on using a device known as a ramen spectroscopy to gather the same vital information, but without the pain.
Instead of sticking the finger to draw blood for testing purposes, the ramen spectroscopy uses near-infrared (NIR) light to scan an area of the body, such as the arm or finger. Glucose levels are read through the skin simply by scanning the area.
This new device solves several key issues with the current method of obtaining blood samples. One, the pain of sticking the skin is eliminated and two, the results are not only more accurate, but can be obtained much quicker and easier.
The technology behind the device is not new. It has been in the research and development stage for over 15 years. Early obstacles included the fact that the device was only able to penetrate the skin down to a depth of half a millimeter. This meant that only the interstitial fluid was being checked, and not the actual blood.
The problem with only checking interstitial fluid is that this fluid is not an accurate prediction of glucose levels. This is due to the fact that it takes longer for changes to occur within the interstitial fluid than it takes for blood glucose levels to soar.
To compensate for the difference, researchers have now devised a new form of calibration for the device. It calculates the difference in blood glucose levels and interstitial fluid levels and compares the two much more accurately. The result is between a 15 to 3 percent improvement in the readings.
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