Evaluation of a new capillary blood collection system for laboratory assay of glycated haemoglobin.

Measurement of glycated haemoglobin has been shown to be a useful index of long-term blood glucose control in diabetes mellitus. The utility for routine care has to some extent been diminished by the practical problem of not having the actual results at the time of the clinic visit. We therefore found it of interest to test a new system for capillary blood collection, storage and transportation, which makes it possible to perform capillary blood collection at home, and then forward the blood sample for the laboratory assay of glycated haemoglobin. In the out-patient clinic 32 insulin-dependent diabetics performed capillary blood sampling by this new system. Simultaneously a venous blood collection was carried out by a technician, and all samples were analysed in the laboratory by isoelectric focusing. The results from the two ways of sampling showed perfect correlation (r = 0.98), and comparable stability. This new system may solve one of the practical problems of the utility of glycated haemoglobin in routine diabetes care.