Abbott says some blood glucose meters defective

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories Inc. on Thursday warned users of certain of its glucose blood testing meters that they may give incorrect readings, or not work at all.

The company said its FreeStyle and FreeStyle Flash blood glucose meters sold in the United States may switch the unit of measure or in rare cases, stop working, especially with low batteries.

The defects may lead to misreading of test results and potentially hyperglycemia, Abbott said.

The medical device and drug maker issued a letter to doctors and its registered customers in the United States alerting them to the defect.

The letter advises patients to always check to make sure the meter is calibrated and that it displays the standard unit of measure, milligrams per deciliter in the United States.