HI on the meter (above the measuring range)
The meter measured a blood glucose higher than the top of the range it can report, so it shows HI instead of a number. It is not an error code: every manual read treats it as a very high result.
Check your meter’s manual — makers differ.
What it is for
Each manual read tells you what to do, in its own words, and the words differ. Contour (Ascensia): “Wash your hands or the test site and repeat the test with a new strip. If the meter again displays the HI screen, follow medical advice immediately.” OneTouch (LifeScan, Verio Flex): “Re-test your blood glucose level. If the result is HI again, this indicates a severe problem with your blood glucose control. Obtain and follow instructions from your healthcare professional immediately.” Accu-Chek (Roche): “If your blood glucose result is displayed as LO or HI, follow your healthcare professional’s instructions or contact your healthcare professional immediately.” FreeStyle (Abbott): with symptoms such as fatigue, thirst, excess urination or blurry vision, “follow your doctor’s recommendation to treat hyperglycaemia”; without them, the FreeStyle booklet says to retest with a new test strip first.
These pages report what each maker’s manual says and quote it wherever health is involved. They do not diagnose anything, they are not medical advice, and they never tell you how to treat a result; only your own meter’s manual and your healthcare team can do that for your model.
- What it looks like
- The letters HI where the number would be, sometimes flashing with an arrow. The OneTouch Verio Reflect writes the words EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE instead.
- Names makers use
- HI (Accu-Chek, Contour, OneTouch Verio Flex, FreeStyle); EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE (OneTouch Verio Reflect)
Where makes differ
The top of the range is not the same. The Accu-Chek Guide manual (Roche) says HI means “higher than 600 mg/dL”, the Contour Next One guide (Ascensia) “over 600 mg/dL”, and both OneTouch booklets (LifeScan) “over 600 mg/dL”. The FreeStyle Freedom Lite booklet (Abbott) shows HI “above 500 mg/dL (27.8 mmol/L)”, so the same blood could read as a number on one meter and HI on another. The OneTouch Verio Reflect does not print HI at all: it writes EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE. A HI is kept in memory: the FreeStyle booklet (Abbott) says it is stored as HI and “not included in your 7-, 14- and 30-day averages”.
What it does not mean
HI is not a measurement of how high you are, only that you are above the meter’s ceiling. It is not the same as HI.t on the OneTouch Verio Flex, which LifeScan’s booklet defines as the meter being too hot to test. On FreeStyle Freedom Lite meters, Abbott lists very high glucose as one possible cause of Error 2 as well, so an error code does not rule out a very high level.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No published standard we could check defines blood glucose meter control icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own manuals and support pages, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Roche: Accu-Chek Guide blood glucose meter — user manual (US, PDF) — Blood Glucose Warnings: “Blood glucose may be higher than the measuring range of the system”; Error Messages: “(higher than 600 mg/dL)”; Symptoms of Low or High Blood Glucose: “If your blood glucose result is displayed as LO or HI, follow your healthcare professional’s instructions or contact your healthcare professional immediately.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Roche: Accu-Chek — Guide meter error codes (support pages for E-1 to E-14, HI, LO and the battery icon) — HI: “Blood glucose may be higher than the measuring range of the system. See the Unusual Blood Glucose Results section in the User Manual.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- LifeScan: OneTouch Verio Flex — owner’s booklet (US, PDF) — Caution, High results: “HI is displayed when your result is over 600 mg/dL. You may have severe hyperglycemia (very high blood glucose). Re-test your blood glucose level. If the result is HI again … Obtain and follow instructions from your healthcare professional immediately.” HI and the Range Indicator Arrow flash. Checked 2026-09-28.
- LifeScan: OneTouch Verio Reflect — owner’s booklet (US, PDF) — Troubleshooting: EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE, “Above 600 mg/dL … Re-test your blood glucose level. If the result is EXTREME HIGH GLUCOSE again, obtain and follow instructions from your healthcare professional right away.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Ascensia: CONTOUR NEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system — user guide (US, PDF) — Symbol table: HI “Blood glucose test result is above 600 mg/dL”; LO or HI Results: “Wash your hands or the test site and repeat the test with a new strip. If the meter again displays the HI screen, follow medical advice immediately.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Abbott: FreeStyle Freedom Lite blood glucose monitoring system — owner’s booklet (Australia, ART22410-102 Rev. B, PDF) — LO and HI Readings: “If your test is above 500 mg/dL (27.8 mmol/L), HI will appear on the display screen. This indicates severe hyperglycaemia”; with and without symptoms; HI stored in memory and not included in averages. Checked 2026-09-28.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.