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Exhaled breath temperature in healthy children is influenced by room temperature and lung volume

Karla M Logie1, Merci M H Kusel, Peter D Sly

  • 1School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia. klogie@meddent.uwa.edu.au

Pediatric Pulmonology
|June 1, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Room temperature and slow vital capacity (SVC) significantly impact exhaled breath temperature (EBT) measurements in healthy children. These factors are key predictors for EBT variables, influencing airway inflammation assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Physiology

Background:

  • Exhaled breath temperature (EBT) is a proposed non-invasive method for assessing airway inflammation.
  • Previous research has not fully explored the impact of ambient room temperature or lung size on EBT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of room temperature and lung volume on EBT in healthy children.
  • To identify physiological factors affecting EBT parameters in a pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty healthy children (9-11 years) participated.
  • Static lung volumes were measured using multiple breath nitrogen washout.
  • EBT parameters (slope, plateau end temperature (PLET), normalized plateau end temperature (nPLET)) were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Room temperature significantly affected EBT parameters: PLET increased with room temperature, while slope and nPLET decreased.
  • After adjusting for room temperature, height, and age, total lung capacity and slow vital capacity (SVC) were significant predictors of PLET.
  • SVC and room temperature were the sole significant predictors of plateau and nPLET in a multiple regression model.
  • EBT measurement success rate was 95% in this healthy pediatric cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Room temperature and SVC are significant determinants of EBT variables in healthy children.
  • These findings highlight the need to control for environmental and physiological factors in EBT assessments.
  • Further research is warranted to evaluate EBT's utility in diagnosing airway inflammation in pediatric respiratory diseases.
Abstract

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