Multi-Analyte Test Strips

Introduction to Multi-Analyte [Test Strips](/sell-diabetic-supplies/)

"Multi-analyte" describes two different designs, and the difference matters more than the label. An analyte is simply the substance a test measures. Some products put several reagent pads on one strip, so a single dip in urine runs a set of separate chemical tests; Roche's Chemstrip 10 MD checks 10 things at once, glucose and ketones among them [1]. Others pair one meter with more than one kind of strip. Abbott's Precision Xtra, for example, reads a blood glucose strip and, separately, a blood β-ketone strip [2].

One strip, many pads

Urine reagent strips, often called dipsticks, are the most familiar version of the idea. FDA's summary for the Chemstrip 10 MD describes an inert plastic strip with different reagent pads attached, covering specific gravity, pH, ketones, leukocytes, blood, nitrite, protein, urobilinogen, bilirubin and glucose [1]. Siemens Healthineers describes its Multistix 10 SG the same way: 10 tests on a single strip [3].

Each pad runs its own reaction. On the Chemstrip 10 MD, the glucose pad uses the glucose oxidase/peroxidase method. The ketone pad works differently: sodium nitroprusside and glycine react with acetoacetate and acetone to form a violet dye [1]. The Multistix 10 SG's device record also lists its ketone pad as a test for acetoacetic acid [4].

Not every dipstick tries to cover everything. Ascensia's Keto-Diastix carries just two pads: one for ketones and one for glucose. FDA's device identifier database (GUDID) lists it as an over-the-counter product [5]. The Chemstrip 10 MD, by contrast, is labeled for prescription use [1]. As of October 2026, GUDID listed Keto-Diastix [5], Chemstrip 10 MD [6] and Multistix 10 SG [4] as in commercial distribution.

Reading the colors

Dipstick results are color matches, not numbers. FDA files urine glucose pads and nitroprusside ketone pads as non-quantitative tests [5], and the Chemstrip 10 MD can be read by eye or on a Roche urine analyzer [1]. Here's what surprised us on Siemens' product page. In a study of 10,084 samples that Siemens cites, the share of positive results misread by one color block fell from 12.4% when people read the strips by eye to 2.9% on a CLINITEK analyzer [3]. That's a manufacturer-reported figure, but it shows how much a color chart depends on the person holding it.

One meter, separate strips

The second design shares the name but works differently. In July 1999, FDA cleared MediSense's Precision Xtra system as one meter with two strip types: Precision blood glucose strips and Precision Xtra β-ketone strips [2]. Glucose and ketones each get their own strip, so a ketone check means a second strip and a second test.

The blood ketone strip doesn't use nitroprusside. Abbott Diabetes Care's 2006 summary for the strip describes an amperometric biosensor: the strip produces an electrical current proportional to the amount of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which Abbott calls β-ketone, and the meter turns that into a quantitative result [7]. BHB is the main ketone body in blood [8].

Here's what surprised us in that 2006 record. FDA classified the quantitative blood strip under 21 CFR 862.1435, a regulation named "Ketones (nonquantitative) test system," with product code JIN [7]. That's the same product code Keto-Diastix carries for its urine ketone pad, which GUDID labels "Nitroprusside, Ketones (Urinary, Non-Quant.)" [5]. Product codes are filing categories, so they tell you little about the chemistry inside a strip.

As of October 2026, GUDID listed Precision Xtra glucose strips, β-ketone strips and meter systems as in commercial distribution, though one system listing had been marked out of distribution since April 2023 [9]. Our companion article, Multi-Analyte Test Strips (Glucose + Ketone), compares the blood glucose and ketone meters in more detail.

A blood strip with several pads

CardioChek sits between the two designs. FDA's review of the CardioChek Plus systems describes PTS Panels strips that measure total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and glucose on one strip from a fingertip blood sample [10]. The analyzer reads those strips by reflectance photometry, measuring the color each reaction develops. It reads a separate eGlu glucose strip electrochemically instead [10]. The home version is labeled for over-the-counter use, and its labeling says it hasn't been evaluated for diagnosing diabetes and isn't for diabetes screening [10]. We explain the two measurement methods in Electrochemical vs. Photometric Detection.

What urine ketone pads can't tell you

This is where the two designs part ways most. Nitroprusside reactions detect acetoacetate and can't measure BHB at all [8]. A 2021 consensus report on ketone monitoring explains why that matters in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a state of severely elevated ketone bodies that comes with dangerous blood acidity [8].

Early in DKA, acetoacetate rises later than BHB, so urine tests can underestimate total ketones. As DKA resolves, acetoacetate can climb even while blood BHB falls, so urine tests can overestimate [8]. The report's authors concluded that nitroprusside tests can help diagnose DKA alongside other tests but shouldn't be used to monitor its treatment [8].

So the trade-off is breadth against precision. A dipstick screens for several substances from one urine sample [1], while a blood ketone strip reports one ketone body as a number [7]. Which test fits your situation, and what to do with any result, is a decision to make with your care team.