The present invention relates to a system and method for the compensation of assay measurements of analytes from small quantities of biological fluids harvested from tissue of a subject utilizing conditions at the harvesting and assay or measurement site.
Current analyte assay devices suffer from inaccuracies resulting from a variety of confounding conditions at the harvesting site. For example, blood glucose meters adjust an assay measurement for ambient temperature conditions associated with the glucose test strip when it is inserted in the meter.
As attempts are made to reduce the volume of biological fluid collected or the time required for the assay, these conditions become more and more detrimental to an accurate assay measurement. The conditions include, but are not limited to, humidity, temperature, ambient light, pressure, etc. For example, this is particularly the case in a system that measures a glucose concentration from blood or interstitial fluid collected in a harvesting device that is placed in or about the surface of a tissue. Attribute compensation is even more important in a system that monitors an analyte on a continuous basis from a harvesting device that is kept in contact with the tissue for several hours, days or even weeks. Through the use of appropriate sensors, these conditions may be monitored and compensated for in the desired assay measurement.