Bedside monitoring of subcutaneous interstitial glucose in healthy individuals using microdialysis and infrared spectrometry

An IR-spectroscopy-based bedside device, coupled to a subcutaneously implanted microdialysis probe, is developed for quasicontinuous glucose monitoring with intermittent readouts at 10-min intervals, avoiding any sensor recalibration under long-term operation. The simultaneous estimation of the microdialysis recovery rate is possible using an acetate containing perfusate and determining its losses across the dialysis membrane. Measurements are carried out on four subjects, with experiments lasting either 8 or 28 h, respectively. Using the spectral interval data either from 1180 to 950 or 1560 to 1000 cm(-1), standard errors of prediction (SEPs) between 0.13 and 0.28 mM are achieved using multivariate calibration with partial least-squares (PLS) or classical least-squares (CLS) calibration models, respectively. The transfer of a PLS calibration model using the spectral and reference concentration data of the dialysates from the three 8-h-long experiments to a 28-h monitoring episode with another healthy subject is tested. Including microdialysis recovery for the determination of the interstitial glucose concentrations, an SEP of 0.24 mM is obtained versus whole blood glucose values. The option to determine other metabolites such as urea or lactate offers the possibility to develop a calibration- and reagent-free point-of-care analyzer.