bSens One

85%

In 2004, glucose biosensors accounted for about 85% of the world market for biosensors, according to a 2010 review. ¹

An electrochemical reader, the potentiostat, controls and measures the voltage and electrical current of a sensor. Advances in electronics have taken this instrument from large, heavy benchtop equipment to portable readers for use where the test is done. ²

Alongside lateral flow pregnancy tests, electrochemical glucose meters are among the few biosensors with worldwide commercial success. They are an example of a simple reader designed for a single kind of test. ^2,3

In a Cochrane review, point-of-care testing is testing done in a clinic, at home or at another site of care, rather than in a standard reference laboratory. A point-of-care device is a portable monitor used by a healthcare provider or by the patient to obtain a clinical measure. ⁴

A 2016 Cochrane review describes how, in oral anticoagulation, point-of-care devices allow people to test their own INR at home. The review pooled trials of these portable monitors published from 1989 to 2013. ⁴

Point-of-care INR monitors measure clotting time in fingerstick blood and convert it to the INR equivalent of plasma testing. The 2012 American College of Chest Physicians guideline points to limits in the accuracy and precision of these monitors, which differ more from the plasma method as the INR rises above the therapeutic range. ⁵