APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20110208081A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bedfont Scientific Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bedfont Scientific Ltd.
• Inventors: Smith, Trevor ., Greenham, Leigh, Bromley, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/674,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208081A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/532
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0037 NOx
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A breath testing apparatus having a sampling device (10) and a sensor (50), wherein said sampling device is detachable. A method of analysing the breath of a patient is also provided.

Claims

1. A breath testing apparatus comprising:

a sampling device;

a sensor device to detect levels of a gas of interest in exhaled air; and

wherein said sampling device is detachable.

2. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor device and said sampling device each comprise corresponding interface means to allow said sensor device and said sampling device to be connected together.

3. The breath testing apparatus of claim 2, wherein a connection between said sampling device and said sensor device is substantially airtight.

4. The breath testing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said connection comprises a plug and socket arrangement.

5. The breath testing apparatus of claim 4, wherein said interface means are D-shaped.

6. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device comprises a patient contact means.

7. The breath testing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said sampling device further comprises a conduit running between said patient contact means and said interface means.

8. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device comprises infection control means.

9. The breath testing apparatus of claim 8, wherein said infection control means is positioned within said conduit.

10. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor device comprises a sensor for detecting a level of said gas of interest within said exhaled air.

11. The breath testing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor device further comprises a pump configured to extract a portion of the exhaled air for detection by the sensor.

12. The breath testing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sensor detects the levels of nitric oxide within said exhaled air.

13. The breath testing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sensor device is adapted such that said sensor can be removed and replaced with a sensor for a different gas of interest.

14. The breath testing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sensor is an electrochemical gas sensor.

15. The breath testing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sensor is temperature stable.

16. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor device comprises an independent power source.

17. The breath testing apparatus of claim 16, wherein said sensor device further comprises a back-up battery to ensure power to a memory means within said sensor device.

18. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device comprises a flow regulator.

19. The breath testing apparatus of claim 18, wherein said flow regulator comprises a flow indicator having a visual indication means.

20. The breath testing apparatus of claim 19, wherein said flow indicator further comprises a body which is adapted to interact with the flow of breath and have its position or orientation influenced according to a flow rate.

21. The breath testing apparatus of claim 18, wherein said flow regulator is adapted to provide a flow rate of from 30 to 70 ml/s.

22. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device further comprises an inlet to allow a patient to inhale air through the sampling device.

23. The breath testing apparatus of claim 22, wherein said breath testing apparatus comprises an inhalation filter to filter the air being inhaled through said sampling device.

24. The breath testing apparatus of claim 22, wherein said sampling device comprises at least one-way valve to direct paths of the inhaled and exhaled breath.

25. The breath testing apparatus of claim 24, wherein said sampling device comprises a means to remove water from the exhaled breath of the patient.

26. The breath testing apparatus of claim 25, wherein said means comprises a humidity filter.

27. The breath testing apparatus of claim 26, wherein said humidity filter is located in a conduit of said sampling device.

28. The breath testing apparatus of claim 26, wherein said humidity filter reduces the humidity level of said exhaled breath to a pre-determined level.

29. The breath testing apparatus of claim 8, wherein said infection control means and a means to remove water are provided by a multi-function filter.

30. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device comprises a flow restriction means which provides sufficient resistance to exhalation such that a nasal vellum of a patient is closed and nasally exhaled air is substantially excluded from a tested breath.

31. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sampling device is formed substantially from a plastics material.

32. The breath testing apparatus of claim 31, wherein said plastics material is impregnated with an antimicrobial agent.

33. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said breath testing apparatus is shaped and sized such that it is suitable for hand-held operation.

34. The breath testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sampling device is a single use, disposable unit.

35. A method of analyzing breath of a patient for the presence or amount of a gas of interest:

providing a breath testing apparatus;

causing the patient to exhale into said breath testing apparatus at a suitable rate; and

analyzing the exhaled breath for the presence or amount of the gas of interest.

36. The method of claim 35 comprising providing to a user an indication of the rate of exhalation so that they can alter the exhalation rate such that it falls within a desired range.

37. The method of claim 35 comprising enabling the patient to inhale through said breath testing apparatus.

38. The method of claim 35 comprising extracting a portion of the exhaled air for analysis within a said sensor device of said breath testing apparatus.

39. The method of claim 35 comprising comparing a result of said method with an expected value.

40. The method of claim 35 comprising disposing a sampling device of said breath testing apparatus after use.

41. The method of claim 35 comprising analyzing a nitric oxide content of the exhaled air of the patient.