Accurate method to characterize airway nitric oxide using different breath-hold times including axial diffusion of nitric oxide using heliox and breath hold

• US 20070149891A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Shin, Hye-Won, Condorelli, Peter, George, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,427,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/533
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0813 Measurement of pulmonary parameters by tracers, e.g. radioactive tracers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/083 Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption

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.

Claims

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.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a predetermined positive pressure during the breath hold and exhalation to prevent nasal contamination of the measured airway NO parameters.

3. The method of claim 2 where maintaining a predetermined positive pressure during the breath hold and exhalation to prevent nasal contamination comprises maintaining a positive pressure of 5 cm H₂O or more.

4. The method of claim 1 where exhaling at a flow rate evacuates the airway space in 2 seconds or less.

5. The method of claim 1 where exhaling at a flow rate evacuates the airway space comprises exhaling at a rate of 300 ml/s or more.

6. The method of claim 1 where performing the series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times comprises performing a series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having increasing durations of 5 seconds over the previous breath hold.

7. The method of claim 1 where performing the series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having increasing durations of 5 seconds over the previous breath hold comprises performing a series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-second breath holds.

8. The method of claim 1 where measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers comprises measuring the indexes of NO exchange dynamics and spirometry.

9. The method of claim 8 where measuring spirometry comprises measuring forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second.

10. The method of claim 8 where exhalation is characterized as comprised of three temporal phases I, II, and II and where measuring the indexes of NO exchange dynamics and spirometry comprises measuring:

maximum observed concentration of NO, C_peakNO,

width of phases I and II of exhalation, W₅₀,

total exhaled volume of NO during phases I and II, V_I,II, and/or

total mass or volume of NO in phases I and II, A_I,II.

11. The method of claim 1 where a model of an entire airway tree of the lungs is assumed and further comprising:

determining diffusing capacity of NO in an entire airway tree of the lungs, Daw_NO;

determining airway wall concentration of NO, Caw_NO; and

/or

determining maximum total volumetric flux of NO from the entire airway tree, J′

aw_NO from the measured airway NO parameters.

12. The method of claim 10 where a model of an entire airway tree of the lungs is assumed and further comprising:

determining using the model diffusing capacity of NO in an entire airway tree of the lungs, Daw_NO;

determining using the model airway wall concentration of NO, Caw_NO; and

/or

determining using the model maximum total volumetric flux of NO from the entire airway tree, J′

aw_NO from the measured airway NO parameters.

13. The method of claim 12 where the assumed model of an entire airway tree of the lungs comprises a model including a trumpet geometry of the airway of the lungs and gas phase axial diffusion of NO occurs.

14. The method of claim 1 where inhaling a gas comprises inhaling heliox.

15. The method of claim 14 where inhaling heliox comprises inhaling a sufficient amount of heliox to enhance NO diffusion in the lungs to a level sufficient to modulate airway smooth muscle tone.

16. The method of claim 15 where inhaling a sufficient amount of heliox to enhance NO diffusion in the lungs to a level sufficient to modulate airway smooth muscle tone comprises inhaling sufficient amounts of heliox to activate soluble guanylate cyclase in airway smooth muscle tissue.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 where the means for performing the series of breath hold maneuvers of progressively increasingly breath hold times comprises means for performing a series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having increasing durations of 5 seconds over the previous breath hold.

17. An apparatus for characterizing NO gas exchange dynamics in human lungs comprising:

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.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising means for maintaining a predetermined positive pressure during the breath hold and exhalation to prevent nasal contamination of the measured airway NO parameters.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 where the means for maintaining a predetermined positive pressure during the breath hold and exhalation to prevent nasal contamination comprises means for maintaining a positive pressure of 5 cm H₂O or more.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for exhaling at a flow rate evacuates the airway space in 2 seconds or less.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for exhaling at a flow rate evacuates the airway space comprises means for exhaling at a rate of 300 ml/s or more.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for performing the series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having increasing durations of 5 seconds over the previous breath hold comprises means for performing a series of breath hold maneuvers with breath hold times of having 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-second breath holds.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for measuring airway NO parameters during consecutive breath hold maneuvers comprises means for measuring the indexes of NO exchange dynamics and spirometry.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 where the means for measuring spirometry comprises means for measuring forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 where exhalation is characterized as comprised of three temporal phases I, II, and II and where the means for measuring the indexes of NO exchange dynamics and spirometry comprises means for measuring:

maximum observed concentration of NO, C_peakNO,

width of phases I and II of exhalation, W₅₀,

total exhaled volume of NO during phases I and II, V_{I, II}, and/or

total mass or volume of NO in phases I and II, A_{I, II}.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 where a model of an entire airway tree of the lungs is assumed and further comprising:

means for determining diffusing capacity of NO in an entire airway tree of the lungs, Daw_NO;

means for determining airway wall concentration of NO, Caw_NO; and

/or

means for determining maximum total volumetric flux of NO from the entire airway tree, J′

aw_NO from the measured airway NO parameters.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 where a model of an entire airway tree of the lungs is assumed and further comprising:

means for determining using the model diffusing capacity of NO in an entire airway tree of the lungs, Daw_NO;

means for determining using the model airway wall concentration of NO, Caw_NO; and

/or

means for determining using the model maximum total volumetric flux of NO from the entire airway tree, J′

aw_NO from the measured airway NO parameters.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 where the assumed model of an entire airway tree of the lungs comprises a model including a trumpet geometry of the airway of the lungs and gas phase axial diffusion of NO occurs.

30. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for inhaling a gas comprises means for inhaling heliox.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 where the means for inhaling heliox comprises means for inhaling a sufficient amount of heliox to enhance NO diffusion in the lungs to a level sufficient to modulate airway smooth muscle tone.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 where the means for inhaling a sufficient amount of heliox to enhance NO diffusion in the lungs to a level sufficient to modulate airway smooth muscle tone comprises means for inhaling sufficient amounts of heliox to activate soluble guanylate cyclase in airway smooth muscle tissue.