Customer Reviews

CardioChek Portable Blood Test System

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've used the CardioChek 6 times, and had my cholesterol checked at a doctor's office during the same period. My cholesterol levels according to the doctor's tests are always around 200. With the CardioChek they vary by as much as 90 points. It is a lot of trouble (and expensive) to purchase 3 sets of test strips and stab myself 3 times to test total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, and Triglycerides. No test strips are included in the package when I purchased the CardioChek. The box says "includes check strips" but those are something other than test strips.

I bought this product and the accuracy depends on having good test strips.
I simultaneously had bloodwork at the Doctor's office when I did the test.
Except for the total cholesterol, all the other tests were off. The manual states to check for the blue color at the back of the test strips after the test is done. Except for total cholestrol the other test strips did not have a blue color. The test strips which are expensive were bad. I am planning on returning this product

We have owned this device for many years and use it fairly regularly. My boyfriend doesn't like doctors, so it's good to have the CardioChek device for nearly instant home testing whenever we wish. It's great!

The device is about the size of a long pack of cigarettes and is SUPER easy to use. You can buy a variety of test strips for it. We have the total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and Triglycerides tests. From these, you can also calculate your LDL levels quite easily.

You turn on the CardioChek, slide in whichever strip you want to use, and then add in a drop of blood. We have an AutoLancet which is a one-button push pen-like item that easily gets a drop of blood without much pain at all. Then you wait maybe 30 seconds, and the device tells you the exact number.

We haven't had any problems with this system at all. If anything, the problem we have is that I don't bleed easily and my blood refuses to leave my body :) I find that running my hand or foot under warm water for a few minutes helps out. My toes seem to work better than my fingers, and are less sensitive, too.

Highly recommended, we haven't had any problems with this at all in the many years of use.

NOTE: There are multiple entries in Amazon for this device. Take a look at the other entry to see all the positive reviews for it. Yes you have to calculate the LDL value. I don't think a quick test *exists* for LDL. Plus, you always want to know all four numbers. Just knowing your LDL wouldn't be enough. You would would always want to do 3 out of the 4 tests, and then calculate the fourth, even if they DID have a LDL test. That way you can know all four numbers (which you do need to know) but only pay for 3 tests (to save some money).

As far as the test's accuracy, I can only guess that some people are doing this test right after they eat a gigantic meal full of sugars and fats. These tests *are* affected by what you eat! Do them first thing in the morning, after you've had a "natural fast" (i.e. sleep, unless you sleep-eat) and you'll be fine.

I've owned this system for several months and my main concern is Accuracy, or rather lack of. I have had my Lipid Panel done at a clinic and this tester has been WAY off as compared to their results, more than once.

I have carefully followed the instructions, fasted overnight everytime, and I know I've done everything prudent to get my readings as correct as possible. As another review mentioned, this tester may be good to show trends, but I would NOT assume that it is absolutely exact.

Another thing I noticed early on...lighting matters. I was in my bedroom with my nightstand light on and I got an error message that said 'too much light'. As soon as I moved away from the lamp it worked. Because this tester works on a light transparency method, it seems even your room lighting may effect your results, so be aware when you test.

The basic concept of this tester is good, and certainly cheaper than going to a doctor, but please be aware that if your readings seem to be unhealthy you should follow-up at a clinic just to be sure...good luck.

I purchased the product . Found it to be not accurate. Also in order to get your LDL result you have to use 3 types of strips and a formula to calculate it - Costly !! cumbersome !!! 3 times "niddle" your fingers !!

I returned the product.

I bought this product because I have very high tryglicerides... After purchasing it and expensive strips I see in the user manual that the device will display an error if your tryglicerides are over 400... Mine are at 1200, down from over 3000 and hopefully, still improving, but it will be a long time before I can use this device to test them- and with the 'expiration date' on the test strips, some of them just a few months away, all of this is basically junk.

I took my cholestrol since that should be in range and it read 258... I'm not sure how much I trust it as my fasting cholestorl as measured by the doctor last week was 40 points higher. I sure hope it's a legitimate result but I know it should be higher, a lot higher.

Also the single use lancets supplied mean that if you 'miss' or don't get a good prick you'll have to buy/find your own- I wish they used the standard lancet type pen that comes with glucose meters, you'd think for what they are charging for the test strips they could provide quality lancets.

It's a great idea and I hope in coming years better meters come out that can test faster, larger ranges, and such- but this isn't there yet. I guess if you're levels are are 'normal' you can use it but why would you waste your money on this if you're levels are decent to begin with.

I tested it with 6 strips, everytime it showed over 330. Finally i went to the lab and got it tested - my total cholestrol was 190! Even on the day I went to lab i tested with the last strip and it showed 337 - This is a highly inaccurate instrument - stay away from it. Also, the front panel (with cardiochek logo) comes of easily - flimsy design.

Before anyone trashes their device, try having two or more tests done by different doctors/lab. You'll find that the triglyceride levels can vary greatly among the labs also.

Had heard a lot about this unit and its accuracy / speed. I have used Cholestrak to keep regular tabs on my cholestrol level for about 5 yrs and the results are close to lab tests.......it just takes too long for the test results. I wanted to buy CardioCheck system as its fast (2 min) and I could also check HDL and Triglicerides levels.

I read the manual thoroughly as there were several comments on Amazon.com that mentioned the unit being very sensitive to light. I have now taken about 9 readings and every one of them is way off. And YES I understand english and can follow the procedure.

I found this unit to be very unreliable and I got readings upwards of 90 + my actual cholestrol levels. I am going back to my cholestrak which has served my purpose well. I think the 15 min wait to get results is worth it when you atleast know its right.

On another note, I purchased it at my local WALMART store and it took a conference call between PTS technologies CS dept, Walmart Pharmacy Mgr and me to return the unit. Apparently, WALMART does not accept blood testing equipment back and when I repeatedly asked them to show me where it says so in their store - they walked me over to a corner and behind the counter, there was a small 3" x 4" sign. This is ridiculous but I guess now that I have finally (3 trips later) returned it, I am going to move on.

The CardioChek product for measuring cholesterol is a great concept but needs some further improvements. The three finger stabs is not that bad, since you might typically measure your cholesterol once a month or so. I found my readings to be consistently lower than measurements made by a blood diagnostic center. If you're looking for trends, this product should give you that (but compare with a blood diagnostic center's results). If you're looking for accuracy, you won't get it.
I also noticed that Curcumin (a component of the spice Turmeric) deceives the HDL measurement *significantly*. Since the manufacturer doesn't test how its measurements are affected by supplements (or spices), there is room for considerable error.