title: Monitoring breath markers under controlled conditions.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Particle Technology Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Righettoni
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ragnoni
authors.forename: Andreas T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Güntner
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loccioni
authors.forename: Sotiris E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Pratsinis
authors.forename: Terence H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Risby
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D045853:Exhalation; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000096:Acetone