Freestyle Optium Ketone Strips - 10 Strips

Freestyle Ketone Strips are for self-testing your blood ketones. Compatible with FreeStyle Optimum Neo, Freestyle Libre and Freestyle Libre 2 meters.

Freestyle Ketone Strips features:

• Individual foil-wrapped strips
• Small sample size (1.5 μL)
• 10 second test time
• Fill trigger ensures reaction starts only when sufficient sample has been applied
• No coding required

Using Freestyle Ketone Strips to measure blood ketones during hyperglycaemia and illness, allows for action to be taken before ketoacidosis develops.

Freestyle Optium Ketone Strips are used to test the amount of ketones in the blood. Ketones are substances the body makes when cells are receiving enough glucose (blood sugar). Glucose is the body’s main source of energy.

Ketones are often detected in a urine test. High levels of ketones may indicate DKA, diabetic ketoacidosis. This is a complication of diabetes that if left untreated can lead to a coma or even death.

This is why it’s important to use Freestyle Optium Ketone Strips to detect ketone so treatment can begin before a medical emergency transpires.

You may need to use Freestyle Optium B Ketone Test Strips if you have diabetes and symptoms of DKA. Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include:

• Excessive thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry or flushed skin
• Shortness of breath
• Fruity smell on breath
• Fatigue
• Confusion

DKA is most common in people with type 1 diabetes, but can affect anyone diagnosed with diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes don’t produce the hormone called insulin. Insulin is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood.

The majority of the time, Freestyle Optium B Ketone Test Strips and other similar devices are used to check for diabetic ketoacidosis.

A normal test will result in no ketones detected. This will mean the Abbot Freestyle Ketone Strips didn’t detect any ketones in the blood. If the result is positive and ketones are present in the blood, then it could mean you have DKA.

However, there are other conditions that can cause you to test positive for blood ketones after using Abbott Freestyle Ketone Strips. These include:

• Malnutrition, eating disorders, and other conditions where the body doesn’t absorb or take in enough calories.

• Pregnant women will sometimes develop blood ketones. If ketones are found in the blood during pregnancy, it could mean gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that only affects pregnant women.

When reading a Freestyle Optium Neo Ketone Test Strips reading, it’s important to know what the different numbers mean.

• Lower than 0.6mmol/L is a normal reading

• 6 to 1.5mml/L means you’re at a slightly increased risk of DKA and should use another of the Freestyle Optium Neo Ketone Test Strips again in 2 hours

• 6 to 2.9mmol/L means there is an increased risk of DKA and the correct healthcare professional should be contacted immediately.

• 3mmol/L or above means there is a very high risk of DKA and medial help should be sought immediately.

If you have used Freestyle Precision Neo Ketone Test Strips before and the test has come back negative, but the most recent one has detected ketones, go to your nearest A&E immediately.

DKA is considered an emergency and needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible.

If you’re unsure about the Freestyle Precision Neo Ketone Test Strips result, contact a local GP or speak with your diabetes team.

Contact them if:

• If blood sugar or ketone levels are high or are getting higher over time, but no symptoms are showing.

• Ketone levels or blood sugars levels are normal or only slightly higher than usual, but you still feel unwell.

Abbott Freestyle Optium Neo Ketone Strips are for use with FreeStyle Optium Neo, FreeStyle Optium, Optium and Optium Xceed Meters. The test strips are designed to quantitatively measure blood Ketone in fresh capillary whole blood from the fingertip.

The Abbott Freestyle Optium Neo Ketone Strips are for use outside the body and are for self-testing or healthcare professional use. Healthcare professionals may also use venous whole blood samples, provided the samples are used within 30 minutes of collection. These systems are not for use in diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, but are to be used as an aid in monitoring the effectiveness of diabetes control programmes.

Before you use Freestyle Blood Ketone Test Strips:

• Do not reuse test strips, use a new strip for each test.

• Do not use after the expiration date listed on the packaging.

• You can use Freestyle Blood Ketone Test Strips up to 6 months after opening the packaging.

If you’d rather purchase different testing strips, click here to see our full range.

The following Ketone Strips Freestyle Libre messages may indicate you have obtained a blood result that requires immediate action or there may be a problem with the test strip.

• HI means your meter has determined that your blood ketone result is higher than 8.0 mmol/L.

• Test Error 2 or Test Error 4 or E-3 or E-4 means there may be a test error.

If any of these messages show, repeat the test with a new Ketone Strips Freestyle Libre. If the same message shows again, contact your healthcare professional immediately. You may also perform a control solution test to check the performance of the system. Follow your healthcare professional’s advice before you make any changes to your diabetes medication programme.

If you’ve tested positive for DKA by using one of the Freestyle Libre Ketone Strips, you may be wondering what has caused it.

DKA is caused by a lack of insulin in the body, which results in the body breaking down fat or energy. Ketones are released into the body as the fat is broken down.

If diabetes has already been diagnosed, certain things can make it more likely you are going to test positive for ketones when using Freestyle Libre Ketone Strips. Some of these things include:

• Having an infection, such as flu or UTI
• Not following the treatment plan set out by your healthcare provider
• An injury or surgery
• Taking certain medicines, such as steroids
• Bing drinking
• Using illegal drugs
• Pregnancy
• Periods

Sometimes it may be any of the above, and other times there may be no obvious trigger. Either way, it needs to be investigated by your doctor so that they can provide the best care possible.

DKA is typically treated in hospital after it has been diagnosed using testing methods such as Freestyle Libre Ketone Test Strips.

Treatment for DKA includes:

• Insulin that’s injected directly into a vein
• Fluids given into a vein to rehydrate the body
• Nutrients given by a vein to replace any that has been lost

Along with the above, vital signs such as the brain, kidneys and lungs will be closely monitored. Patients are usually discharged once they are well enough to eat and drink and further Freestyle Libre Ketone Test Strips show safe levels of ketones in the body. The typical hospital stay lasts around 2 days.