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Measuring exhaled breath condensates in infants
Alexander Moeller1, Peter Franklin, Graham L Hall
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. alexander.moeller@kispi.unizh.ch
Pediatric Pulmonology
|December 24, 2005
Summary
Collecting exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in infants is feasible and safe. This new method successfully gathered significant EBC volumes, offering a promising noninvasive tool for infant respiratory health monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Respiratory Physiology
Background:
- Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) shows potential as a noninvasive marker for airway diseases.
- Early disease detection is crucial, necessitating reliable methods for analyzing EBC in infants.
- Current EBC collection methods are not well-established for this age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel, safe, and feasible method for collecting EBC in infants.
- To compare EBC yields from oral versus nasal breathing in infants.
- To assess the correlation between EBC volume and infant physiological parameters.
Main Methods:
- A custom-made device was used to collect EBC from 54 infants (1-30 months) during sedated sleep.
- Collections were performed for 10 minutes, with attempts at both nasal and oral breathing.
- Oral breathing involved a mask over the mouth with nasal occlusion; nasal breathing used a mask over the nose and mouth with the mouth closed.
Main Results:
- Successful EBC collection was achieved in 53 out of 54 infants, with volumes ranging from 50-550 microliters.
- Significantly greater EBC volumes were collected during oral breathing (354.3 microl) compared to nasal breathing (277.5 microl; P=0.03).
- Collected EBC volume correlated with infant age, length, weight, and minute ventilation, with no adverse effects on vital signs.
Conclusions:
- The described method is safe and feasible for collecting EBC in infants and young children.
- This technique yields sufficient EBC volumes for potential biomarker analysis.
- The findings support the use of EBC as a noninvasive tool for monitoring infant respiratory health.