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ABOUT ALTERNATIVE SITE TESTING (AST)
Important: There are limitations for doing AST. Please consult
your healthcare professional before you do AST.
What is AST?
Alternative site testing (AST) means that people use parts of the body
other than ngertips to check their blood glucose levels. This system
provides you with the ability to test on the palm, the forearm, the upper
arm, the calf, and the thigh with the equivalent results to ngertip
testing.
What’s the advantage?
Fingertips feel pain more readily because
they are full of nerve endings (receptors).
At other body sites, since nerve endings are
not so condensed, you will not feel as much
pain as at the ngertip.
When to use AST?
Food, medication, illness, stress and
exercise can affect blood glucose levels.
Capillary blood at ngertip reects these
changes faster than capillary blood at other sites. Therefore when
testing blood glucose during or immediately after meal, physical exer-
cise, or any other events, take blood sample from your nger only.
We strongly recommend you do AST ONLY in the following intervals:
In a pre-meal or fasting state (more than 2 hours since the last
meal).
Two hours or more after taking insulin.
Two hours or more after exercise.
