[Rapid hemoglobin A1c determination (a new possibility in diabetes care)].

To assess the long-term metabolic control, immunochemical method was used for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) determinations in diabetic patients. The use of DCA 2000 device (Bayer) resulted in immediate (< 6 min) HbA1c values. The reproducibility of this method was acceptable (within-run coefficients of variations were 3.48% and 4.80%). A close, linear correlation (r = 0.974; p < 0.001; n = 106) between HbA1c-values measured simultaneously by DCA 2000 and DIAMAT (Bio-Rad, method: high pressure liquid chromatography) was observed in diabetic patients. The new immunochemical method proved to be simple and reliable. The immediate (within 6 min) result makes the therapeutic decision easier during the care of diabetic patients.