The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define diabetes as a chronic health condition that affects how the body turns food into energy. There are a variety of different lancets and lancing devices on the market, not all of which fit together. Some companies make universal lancing devices, but this is not the case for every manufacturer. When you are choosing a device, it is important to make sure that your lancets and your device work together. Some devices and lancets are universal, but some are made specifically for each other. It is also important to look at the price of the lancets that are required and if they are covered by your insurance. If you have a hard time changing the lancets, then you should try the Accu-Chek’s FastClix because it can hold 6 lancets at one time, which decreases the number of times that you have to change it. The Unistik ® 3 Neonatal safety lancet is a puncture blade device designed for comfortable neonatal heel sampling¹.

However, after reading several blogs and talking to people with diabetes that I know, I have learned that changing a lancet after every use is not usually done. This is because it takes extra time to change it after each use and it also gets expensive. You can use the lancets alone, but most people prefer to use a spring loaded auto lancing device to obtain a blood sample. What is a universal lancet? These single-use safety lancets use Comfort Zone Technology® for a less painful blood sampling. When pressed against the skin, a series of 8 raised dots on the platform stimulate the nerve endings. This sends a powerful message of comfort to the brain – masking the weaker pain stimulus from the lancet. Unistik 3 Normal (Yellow) specification: Avoid using your index fingers to obtain a blood sample with a lancet, as these are used for many tasks including typing and scrolling on mobile phones and computers. Do you need a prescription to buy lancets in UK? In some doctors’ surgeries, professional lancing devices can be used by many patients. Are all lancets the same size?This cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions Type 2: This is the most common form of diabetes. This is where the body does not use insulin as it well should. When a person has diabetes, their body may not make enough insulin or use insulin as well as it should. Insulin controls blood glucose levels in the human body.

Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.If you want a very small one, try the LifeScan’s OneTouch Delica. This device is just over 3 inches long and con be operated with just one hand. If you are unable to get blood out of your finger after using the lancet, you may need to change the depth on the lancet device to a higher number. If you are reusing a lancet, it may be too dull to get a good puncture. Select the desired penetration depth only after removing the sterile cap and choose the depth you require by turning the depth adjuster * Mianowska, B., et al. (2020). Evaluation of three lancing devices: What do blood volume and lancing pain depend on? Lancet depth: One 2020 study asked participants to use a lancing device at different depth settings. The researchers found that blood volume and pain levels were higher when at the maximum lancing depth.