Accurate method to characterize airway nitric oxide using different breath-hold times including axial diffusion of nitric oxide using heliox and breath hold
First Claim
1. A method to characterize NO gas exchange dynamics in human lungs comprising:
- performing a series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times, each breath hold maneuver comprising inhaling a gas, holding a breath for a selected time duration, and exhaling at a flow rate which is uncontrolled but which is effective to ensure evacuation of the airway space; and
measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers, whereby disease states of the lungs are diagnosed using the measured airway NO parameters.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method to characterize NO gas exchange dynamics in human lungs comprising the steps of: (1) performing a series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times, each breath hold maneuver comprising a) inhaling a gas, b) holding a breath for a selected time duration, and c) exhaling at a flow rate which is uncontrolled but which is effective to ensure evacuation of the airway space and (2) measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers. As a result disease states of the lungs are diagnosed using the measured airway NO parameters.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method to characterize NO gas exchange dynamics in human lungs comprising:
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performing a series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times, each breath hold maneuver comprising inhaling a gas, holding a breath for a selected time duration, and exhaling at a flow rate which is uncontrolled but which is effective to ensure evacuation of the airway space; and
measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers, whereby disease states of the lungs are diagnosed using the measured airway NO parameters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22)
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17. An apparatus for characterizing NO gas exchange dynamics in human lungs comprising:
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means for performing a series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times, each breath hold maneuver comprising means for inhaling a gas, means for holding a breath for a selected time duration, and means for exhaling at a flow rate which is uncontrolled but which is effective to ensure evacuation of the airway space; and
means for measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers, whereby disease states of the lungs are diagnosed using the measured airway NO parameters. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification