Question:
I ought to be an expert on laser surgery after Nov 7. I went to my
urologist this AM and the doctor said I have several other medications
you can try or we can do the greenlight laser surgery and pointed out
the huge area of enlarged prostate that needs to be burned out. Let's
do it I said, these gotta go, gotta go, gotta go medications ain't
working. To do the old hospital surgery was complicated, painful and a
long hospital stay. Laser surgery on the on the other hand can be done
in an office vist at a local hospital.
I keep seeing local ads about Abbots Freestyle meters being programmed
inadvertly to give readings based on a foreign language
when the meter is set up and the results could be very erronous.I want have some more information? Thanks.
Answer:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration is warning people
who use one of several glucose meters made by Abbott Diabetes Care that they
can give misleading readings.
In some cases, mistaken readings have resulted in diabetics' blood sugar
becoming dangerously high, the FDA said in a statement issued Wednesday.
The mistaken readings happen when the meters are accidentally switched
to give a person's blood sugar level in the foreign standard of units,
millimoles per liter, resulting in a number that a diabetic can
misinterpret as in the U.S. standard of units, milligrams per deciliter.
An inaccurate reading can lead a diabetic to take the wrong dose of
insulin or make incorrect dietary changes.
The switch can occur when someone is setting the time and date on the
meter. The FDA also has reports of the switch taking place after a meter
was dropped or its battery replaced, although the manufacturer has not
confirmed this.
Abbott Diabetes Care is based in Alameda, Calif. In a statement, the
company said 2.25 million people use these products. They are not being
recalled.
New glucose meters are being shipped with the proper unit of measurement
locked in, the FDA said.
Users should refer to the owner's manual or contact Abbott Diabetes Care
at 1-800-553-4105 to change their meters. The FDA recommended anyone who
believes they have been using the wrong read-out for some time and are
worried about their health should contact a doctor.
The affected Abbott glucose meters sold in the United States are:
FreeStyle, FreeStyle Flash, FreeStyle Tracker, Precision Xtra,
MediSense,
Sof-Tact, Precision Sof-Tact, MediSense, Optium, and private label
brands ReliOn Ultima, Rite Aid, and Kroger blood glucose meters, the FDA said.
Affected glucose meters sold outside of the United States are: Xceed,
Liberty, Boots, Xtra Classic, Easy, and SofTrac, the agency said.
