THE PURPOSE of this paper is to report a modification of the standard reagent strip (Dextrostix) technique which distinguishes between glucose values in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 40, 30, 20, and less than 20 mg per 100 ml. The method is simple, reliable, and produces a permanent color change.
The method is suitable as a screening tool to detect low glucose concentrations in blood of term and low birth weight infants,1 infants of diabetic mothers in whom transient hypoglycemia occurs the first two to six hours of life,2 as well as to detect low glucose levels in CSF of infants with possible meningitis. Furthermore, the effectiveness of therapy in elevating glucose levels can be easily and inexpensively monitored using the modified reagent strip technique.
Material and Methods
Blood was drawn by heel puncture from 83 infants in the nurseries at the University of Illinois Research and