Apparatus and breathing bag for spectrometrically measuring isotopic gas

• US 5,964,712 A
• Filed: 06/06/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Maruyama, Takashi, Ikegami, Eiji, Mori, Masaaki, Kubo, Yasuhiro, Hamao, Tamotsu, Zasu, Yasushi, Morisawa, Katsuhiro, Tsutsui, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Asher, Kimberly L.
• Application Number:
  US08/849,351
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.24, 128/202.22, 600/529, 600/532, 600/540, 600/541, 600/543, 73/23.3, 73/863, 73/863.31, 73/863.86, 73/864.63, 73/864.62, 73/864.65, 73/864.81, 73/864.91, 422/83, 422/84, 422/93, 422/101, 422/102, 206/6, 206/204, 206/305, 220/500, 220/203.07, 55/367, 55/368, 250/430, 250/281, 250/288, 141/296
• US Class Current: 600/529
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/00 Other methods or instruments for diagnosis, e.g. instruments for taking a cell sample, for biopsy, for vaccination diagnosis vaccination prophylaxis, vaccination therapy A61B17/20; Sex determination; Ovulation-period determination menstruation tables G06C3/00; Throat striking implements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0087 Breath samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/0332 with temperature control control of temperature G05D23/00; cryostats F17C3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/11 Filling or emptying of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/274 Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/314 with comparison of measurements at specific and non-specific wavelengths dual wavelength spectrometry G01J3/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0006 Calibrating gas analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath

Abstract

A correction curve (FIG. 19) is prepared by plotting ¹² CO₂ concentrations and ¹³ CO₂ /¹² CO₂ concentration ratios which are determined on the basis of a calibration curve and ¹³ CO₂ and ¹² CO₂ absorbances of gaseous samples having the same ¹³ CO₂ /¹² CO₂ concentration ratio but known different ¹² CO₂ concentrations. A gaseous test sample containing ¹³ CO₂ and ¹² CO₂ as component gases is introduced into a cell, and spectrometrically measured. A ¹² CO₂ concentration of the gaseous test sample is determined by way of the spectrometric measurement. A concentration ratio correction value is obtained on the basis of the correction curve and the ¹² CO₂ concentration of the gaseous test sample thus determined. A measured ¹³ CO₂ /¹² CO₂ concentration ratio is divided by the concentration ratio correction value thus obtained for correction of the ¹³ CO₂ /¹² CO₂ concentration ratio. Thus, the measurement accuracy of the concentration ratios of the component gases can be improved. A breath sampling bag and gas measuring system is also disclosed where each is configured such that breath inlets of the gas measuring apparatus are prevented from being respectively connected to the wrong breath introduction pipes of the breath sampling bag.

Claims

1. A breath sampling bag comprising a plurality of breath accumulating chambers outwardly joined together for respectively accumulating a plurality of breath samples and a plurality of breath introduction pipes communicating with said chambers through which breath samples are respectively introduced by blowing from a living body into the plurality of breath accumulating chambers, said breath introduction pipes being adapted to be respectively connected to a plurality of breath inlets of a gas measuring apparatus for breath measurement to introduce breath samples from the respective breath accumulating chambers into the gas measuring apparatus, wherein the breath introduction pipes of the breath sampling bag are each configured such that said pipes are prevented from being respectively connected to wrong breath inlets when connected to the breath inlets of the gas measuring apparatus.

2. The breath sampling bag of claim 1, wherein the breath introduction pipes have resistance generating means for generating resistance to the blowing of the breath samples introduced from a living body.

3. The breath sampling bag of claim 1, wherein the breath introduction pipes have a detachable filter for removing moisture from the breath samples introduced from a living body.

4. The breath sampling bag of claim 1, wherein the breath introduction pipes each have a valve for preventing back flow of breath samples from the breath accumulating chambers.

6. The gas measuring system of claim 1, wherein the breath introduction pipes each have a valve for preventing backflow of breath samples from the breath accumulating chambers and the breath inlets have disabling means for disabling the valves when the breath introduction pipes are connected to the breath inlets to permit introduction of the breath samples from the breath accumulating chambers through the breath introduction pipes and breath inlets into said measuring means.

5. A gas measuring system comprising, in combination, a gas measuring apparatus for breath measurement having measuring means for measuring a plurality of breath samples and a plurality of breath inlets for introducing said plurality of breath samples into said measuring means and a breath sampling bag having a plurality of breath accumulating chambers outwardly joined together and a plurality of breath introduction pipes communicating with said chambers through which breath samples are respectively introduced by blowing from a living body into the plurality of breath accumulating chambers and connectable respectively to said plurality of breath inlets of said gas measuring apparatus for introducing the breath samples from the breath accumulating chambers of the breath sampling bag through the breath introduction pipes and breath inlets into said measuring means, wherein the breath inlets and the breath introduction pipes are each configured such that said breath inlets are prevented from being respectively connected to wrong breath introduction pipes of the breath sampling bag.