Breath analysis represents a diagnostic technique which can provide information beyond conventional analysis of blood and urine e.g. NO-testing for asthma. Advantages of breath tests are that they are non-invasive, painless and do typically not require trained personnel for sampling.
Hundreds of different substances are present in human breath depending on nutrition, metabolic state including diseases and medication, microbial infections and personal oral hygiene. The appearance or absence of specific metabolites can be used for early diagnosis and their presence for therapy control when identified relevant for a particular disease or medication.
Several research studies show that gas chromatographs-ion mobility spectrometers (GC-IMS) due to their selectivity and sensitivity are suitable instruments for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled air that are related to intoxications and diseases.
Application related to the human breath are:
- Recognition or monitoring of diseases through VOC testing
- Monitoring of work-related exposure of hazardous substances, personal safety
- Control of drug decomposition (Pharmacokinetics)
- Outgassing from human skin
BreathSpec®
- Integrated medical spirometer with disposable mouthpieces for easy and reproducible sampling (flow,CO2/O2 control)
- Heated sampling lines to clean instrument and avoid memory effects
- Versatile due to 3 sampling modes (continuous exhaling, collection of sampling during interrupted exhaling, suck-in of sample through calibration port)
- integrated pump and 6-port-valve for manual and automatic sampling of gases
- Portable
- Automatic data acquisition
- Extremely easy operation by touch panel
