Breath analysis has the potential to detect and monitor diseases as well as to reduce the corresponding medical costs while improving the quality of a patient's life. Herein, a portable prototype, consisting of a commercial breath sampler modified to work as a platform for solid-state gas sensors was developed. The sensor is placed close to the mouth (<10 cm) and minimizes the mouth-to-sensor path to avoid contamination and dilution of the target breath marker. Additionally with an appropriate cooling concept, even high sensor operating temperatures (e.g. 350 °C) could be used. Controlled sampling is crucial for accurate repeatable analysis of the human breath and these concerns have been addressed by this novel prototype. The device helps a subject control their exhaled flow rate which increases reproducibility of intra-subject breath samples. The operation of this flame-made selective chemo-resistive gas sensor is demonstrated by the detection of breath acetone.

Breath ammonia has proven to be a difficult compound to measure accurately. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects that the physiological intervention, exercise, had on the levels of breath ammonia. The effects of vigorous exercise (4000 m indoor row) in 13 participants were studied and increases in breath ammonia were observed in all participants. Mean pre-exercise concentrations of ammonia were 670 pmol ml(-1) CO2 (SD, 446) and these concentrations increased to post-exercise maxima of 1499 pmol ml(-1) CO2 (SD, 730), p < 0.0001. The mean increase in ammonia concentrations from pre-exercise to maximum achieved in conditioned (1362 pmol ml(-1) CO2) versus non-conditioned rowers (591 pmol ml(-1) CO2) were found to be statistically different, p = 0.029. Taken together, these results demonstrate our ability to repeatedly measure the influence of exercise on the concentration of breath ammonia.

Abstract. Because of their direct impact on patients, medical supply lines are under strict regulations and have to be monitored in terms of purity on a regular basis. State-of-the-art measurement solutions do not allow for continuous bedside monitoring. The aim of the presented project is to provide a compact multispecies monitoring system based on the latest quantum cascade laser technologies.