Effect of ventilation on breath hydrogen measurements

Measurement of hydrogen (H2) in expired air by interval sampling after oral administration of carbohydrate detects sugar malabsorption. Standard breath H2 tests require comparison of H2 concentrations in expired air samples obtained immediately before and after delivery of a test substrate. Comparison of interval samples assumes that minute ventilation (VE) remains constant unless H2 is independent of VE. Because healthy individuals have variable VE, we determined how H2 is influenced by changes in VE. H2 concentration was studied at different ventilatory rates in eight healthy adults. It varied inversely with VE in all subjects. We also compared the effect of changes in VE on the relationship between H2 and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in expired air samples. At constant VE, the relationship between H2 and CO2 was linear (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001). As VE changed, the relationship between H2 and CO2 became nonlinear. Changes in VE altered methane concentrations in expired air samples from two subjects in a manner comparable to the effect on H2. These results demonstrate that breath H2 concentrations vary with ventilatory rate. Under conditions where frequent changes in VE are likely, independent measures for ensuring constant VE over sampling times are necessary. Use of CO2 as an internal standard to normalize H2 values to an alveolar concentration is appropriate only under conditions of constant VE.