Alveolar air volatile organic compound extractor for clinical breath sampling

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Clinical breath analysis offers a non-invasive method for disease diagnosis.
• Accurate collection of alveolar air is crucial for reliable breath biomarker detection.
• Existing methods for breath sampling can be complex or inefficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a handheld device for extracting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from alveolar breath.
• To assess the feasibility of using a modified Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) filament for direct breath sample collection.
• To quantify exhaled breath acetone using the developed device and a GC/MS system.

Main Methods:

• A novel handheld alveolar air Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) extractor was designed, featuring an alveolar air separator and a VOC extractor.
• The alveolar air separator directs alveolar air to the VOC extractor, separating it from dead space air.
• VOCs were collected onto a modified SPME filament, and exhaled breath acetone was quantified using GC/MS.

Main Results:

• The device successfully separated alveolar air from dead space air.
• Experimental validation confirmed the feasibility of using the SPME filament for quantifiable breath sample collection.
• Exhaled breath acetone was successfully quantified, demonstrating the device's analytical capability.

Conclusions:

• The handheld alveolar air VOC extractor is a feasible and effective tool for clinical breath analysis.
• The developed SPME-based sampling method allows for direct and quantifiable collection of breath biomarkers.
• This technology holds promise for non-invasive diagnostics through breath analysis.