JPH10170410A - Exhalation collecting device and portable exhalation seal-in vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable exhalation seal-in vessel wherein, being small and easily handled, coming-in of external air is prevented with sure, and an exhalation collecting device corresponding to a portable exhalation seal-in vessel like that. SOLUTION: A subject blows in exhalation sample from a mouth piece 33. The exhalation sample is, introduced in a portable exhalation sample vessel 1 from an opening part 11, dried with a drying pack 19. The cooling fin of a cooling part 21 is cooled with a cooling device 41. When the exhalation sample touches the cooling fin, carbon dioxide solidifies and sticks to the fin. The exhalation sample passing the cooling part 21 is discharged, out of vessel, from the opening part 11 on the opposite side. When a specified amount of exhalation sample is blown in, the opening parts 11 on both ends of vessel are tightly closed. At the cooling part 21, carbon dioxide is selectively captured while its volume becomes less due to solidification, so the portable exhalation seal-in vessel 1 can be miniaturized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a breath collection apparatus and a portable breath-filled container, and more particularly to a clinical biochemical test for analyzing carbon dioxide in breath to collect breath discharged from a subject. The present invention relates to a breath collection apparatus and a portable breath enclosure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, blood and urine have been representative as subjects for clinical biochemical tests. On the other hand, in recent years, the use of breath as a subject has been proposed and attracted attention. Exhaled breath as a subject has the advantage that it can be easily collected because it is constantly emitted from humans. Exhaled air contains a trace amount of volatile components in mixed venous blood flowing through alveolar cell blood vessels. Therefore, the components in the breath are analyzed, and the disease is diagnosed using the analysis results.

One of the clinical biochemical tests using breath is
Helicobacter pilor in the stomach
^13C for detecting the presence of i.
There is urea breath analysis. H. pylori is thought to be the causative agent of gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and the like. This H. pylori has a urea-degrading enzyme and neutralizes stomach acid by producing ammonia from urea in the stomach to live in strong acidity. During the decomposition of urea by H. pylori, carbon dioxide is generated and is absorbed into the blood vessels of the stomach and carried to the lungs. This carbon dioxide is contained in exhaled gas through gas exchange in alveolar cells, and is exhaled with the exhaled air. Therefore,
^{In the 13} C urea breath analysis, urea labeled with ¹³ C is orally administered to the human body. Then, the exhaled breath is collected and the ¹³ C
The isotope ratio of O ₂ , ¹² CO ₂ is analyzed. Here, analysis using mass spectrometry or laser spectroscopy is performed. The presence of H. pylori can be detected by detecting the activity of ureolytic enzyme by detecting the increment of ¹³ CO ₂ .

FIG. 8 shows a process from breath collection to breath analysis. Collection of breath samples is performed at public facilities or private facilities. In the breath collection, a breath collection bag made of a synthetic resin film is used, and the subject blows a breath sample into the breath collection bag. Then, in a state where the required amount of the breath sample has been blown, the blowing port is sealed. The breath collection bag enclosing the breath sample is transported to a laboratory for analysis. At the test site, the breath collection bag is opened and a breath sample is removed and analyzed.
In addition, what is called a rubber balloon may be used besides the above-mentioned breath collection bag.

[0005]

As described above, conventionally,
The breath sample is a breath collection bag (or rubber balloon)
Collected using The breath collection bag is placed in an inflated state with a breath sample enclosed therein when transported to the inspection site. Therefore, the breath collection bag is large and bulky, and handling of the bag during transportation is inconvenient.
The number of samples that can be transported is limited. For example, the above ¹³ C
In the urea breath analysis, a breath sample of 0.2 to 2.5 liters is collected, and the breath collection bag expands to a size corresponding to the collected amount. Therefore, the breath collection bag is significantly bulkier than a test tube or the like used for a blood test.

In addition, a material such as a synthetic resin film is used in a conventional breath collection bag. This is to make the bag expand when the breath sample is blown. However, such materials are fragile, and holes tend to open when touching sharp projections. Therefore, there is a problem that the breath sample easily leaks during handling or transportation of the breath collection bag. This problem similarly occurs when collecting a breath sample using a rubber balloon.

[0007] In addition, a breath sample may be collected using a small glass container instead of a breath collection bag. In this case, a straw is inserted into the glass container,
After the subject inhales a breath sample from a straw,
The container cap is closed. But with this method,
There is a drawback that mixing of external air is unavoidable, the concentration of exhaled breath in the sample is reduced, and accurate concentration measurement may be impaired.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-31607 discloses that
It has been proposed to enclose a breath sample in a container made of a hard material. The use of this container eliminates the problem of the vulnerability of the breath collection bag. However, there is still a need for a large container corresponding to the amount of breath collected.

[0009] The above problems are caused by the fact that the breath sample is a gas and the required sample amount is large. When the subject is blood or urine, a small amount of the subject is transported in a test tube or capsule,
The size and fragility of the container does not matter. In contrast,
When the subject is exhaled, the container becomes large to collect a large amount of gas, and a fragile material is used to utilize the bulge of the container.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to address the above-mentioned problems, to be compact, easy to handle, and capable of reliably preventing external air from being mixed therein. An object of the present invention is to provide a breath collection device corresponding to the above. In addition, the present invention provides a breath collection apparatus and a portable breath enclosing container which are suitably used for a clinical biochemical test in which carbon dioxide in breath is an analysis target such as ¹³ C urea breath analysis.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(1) A breath collection apparatus of the present invention includes a breath collection port through which a subject blows breath, a removable breathable sealed container that is detachably provided from the apparatus and into which breath is introduced, and A cooling device that cools the inside of the portable expiratory enclosure to a temperature equal to or lower than the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide and solidifies the carbon dioxide contained in the exhaled breath in the portable expiratory enclosure.

In the apparatus having the above-described structure, the exhaled breath is blown from the exhalation collection port, introduced into the portable exhaled breathing container, and cooled in the container to a temperature lower than the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide gas. Thereby, the carbon dioxide gas contained in the exhaled air solidifies in the container. In this state, the portable expiratory enclosure is sealed and removed from the device.

According to the present invention, the volume of carbon dioxide gas in exhaled air is reduced to about one thousandth by solidification. Since the volume of the portable expiratory sealed container may be set according to the required amount of carbon dioxide in the solidified state, the container can be significantly reduced in size. Further, in the container of the present invention, it is not necessary to adopt a structure for inflating the container at the time of exhalation introduction unlike the conventional exhalation collection bag. Therefore, the container can be configured without using a fragile material such as a synthetic resin film. As described above, the handling of exhaled breath during transportation is facilitated, and the number of samples that can be transported at one time is increased.

In one embodiment of the present invention, cooling fins are provided in the portable expiratory enclosure so as to touch the expiration in the container, and the cooling device contacts the portable expiratory enclosure and generates heat. The cooling fins are cooled by conduction.
According to this configuration, the exhaled air is cooled by touching the cooling fins, and the carbon dioxide in the exhaled air is solidified. The solidified carbon dioxide mainly adheres to the surface of the cooling fin. Preferably, a plurality of cooling fins are provided so as to increase the surface area of the cooling fins, or the cooling fins are formed in a wave shape or a mesh shape as described later.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the portable device includes a drying member which is provided in the portable expiratory enclosure and removes water vapor from exhaled air. Exhaled air contains water vapor in addition to oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and the like. In the above configuration, the exhalation is cooled after removing the water vapor. Therefore, the water vapor is not solidified together with the carbon dioxide gas in the cooling section, and the carbon dioxide gas can be selectively solidified. Further, in setting the cooling unit (such as the cooling fins), it is not necessary to consider the amount of water vapor. Further, the labor for removing water vapor at the time of analysis at the inspection site can be omitted. Note that, unlike this embodiment, the removal of water vapor may be performed before the exhalation is introduced into the portable exhalation enclosure.

(2) On the other hand, the portable expiratory sealed container of the present invention is a container for sealing and holding expiration, which is provided in an exhalation introduction port for introducing exhaled air and an exhalation flow path in the container, and A cooling unit that solidifies carbon dioxide gas by cooling, and a breath outlet that discharges the breath that has passed through the cooling unit to the outside of the container,
Sealing means for sealing the breath introduction port and the breath discharge port.

According to the above configuration, exhaled air is introduced into the container from the exhalation inlet. When the exhaled air is cooled in the cooling unit, the carbon dioxide gas solidifies, and the exhaled air that has passed through the cooling unit is discharged from the exhalation outlet. Then, the exhalation inlet and the exhalation outlet are sealed. In addition, the exhaled breath discharged from the subject may be directly introduced into the container. Alternatively, the exhaled air may be once collected in another container such as an exhalation collection bag, and the exhaled air may be introduced from the other container into the portable expiratory sealed container of the present invention. Furthermore, the pre-treatment such as concentration may be performed on the exhaled air collected in another container such as an exhaled air collection bag before the exhaled air is introduced into the portable exhalation-sealed container.

According to the present invention, the carbon dioxide gas in the exhaled air is solidified and captured on the exhalation flow path, and the exhaled air component that is not solidified is discharged. For example, the exhaled air is cooled to an intermediate temperature between the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide and the solidification temperatures of oxygen and nitrogen. Thereby, carbon dioxide gas is captured in the cooling unit, and oxygen and nitrogen are discharged. In this way, the carbon dioxide gas in the exhaled air is concentrated and sealed, and the volume of the carbon dioxide gas at the time of sealing is reduced to about 1/1000. Therefore, the size of the portable expiratory sealed container can be reduced. Further, as described above, in the present invention, without using a fragile material such as a synthetic resin film,
A container can be configured. As described above, the handling of exhaled breath during transportation is facilitated, and the number of samples that can be transported at one time is increased.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit is provided with cooling fins so as to come into contact with exhaled air flowing in the container, and the cooling fins are cooled by heat conduction from outside the container. According to this configuration, the exhaled air is cooled by touching the cooling fins, and the carbon dioxide in the exhaled air is solidified. The solidified carbon dioxide mainly adheres to the surface of the cooling fin.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sealing means is provided so as to close at least one of the exhalation introduction port and the exhalation discharge port from the inside of the container, and when the solidified carbon dioxide gas is gasified again. , The sealing force of the sealing means is increased. When the cooling by the cooling unit is completed, the solidified carbon dioxide gas is gasified again, so that the pressure in the container increases. In the above configuration, since the sealing means closes the exhalation introduction port and the exhalation discharge port from the inside, the sealing force of the sealing means is increased when the pressure in the container increases. Therefore, the expiration can be more reliably sealed in the container and transported.

[0021] The portable expiratory breathing container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a drying means provided on the expiration flow path in the container, upstream of the cooling unit, for removing water vapor from the breath.
According to the above configuration, the steam is removed by the drying unit on the upstream side of the cooling unit. Therefore, the water vapor is not solidified together with the carbon dioxide gas in the cooling section, and the carbon dioxide gas can be selectively solidified. It should be noted that, unlike this embodiment, the expired air dehydrated by the drying means outside the container may be introduced into the container.

In the present invention, it is not necessary to solidify all the carbon dioxide in the exhaled gas introduced into the container, and it is sufficient that a part of the carbon dioxide is solidified as in the embodiment described later. Further, in the present invention, carbon dioxide solidified in the container,
It is sufficient that the total amount of carbon dioxide not solidified but sealed in the container is an amount necessary for analysis.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a breath collecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. This breath collecting apparatus is suitable for use in a clinical biochemical test in which carbon dioxide in breath is to be analyzed, such as ¹³ C urea breath analysis.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portable breath enclosing container 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a breath sample container 1) provided in a breath collecting apparatus of the present embodiment. The shape of the breath sample container 1 is a constricted cylindrical shape at the center, and the outer diameter is about 20 mm. The configuration of the breath sample container 1 is symmetric about the constricted portion in the cylindrical axis direction.

The container body of the breath sample container 1 includes a cooling unit cylinder 3 at the center, a drying unit cylinder 5 on both sides in the axial direction, and a sealing unit cylinder 7 provided on both sides. The cooling unit cylinder 3 is made of aluminum having good heat conductivity, and the drying unit cylinder 5 and the sealing unit cylinder 7 are made of lightweight synthetic resin. These cylindrical members are fitted and connected to each other, and integrally constitute a container body. That is, the fitting part 3a of the cooling part cylinder 3 and the fitting part 5a of the drying part cylinder 5 are fitted, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting part 3a and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting part 5a are in close contact with each other. The two cylindrical members are fixed to each other. Similarly, the fitting portion 5b of the drying portion cylinder 5 and the fitting portion 7a of the sealing portion cylinder 7 are fitted, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 5b and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 7a are in close contact with each other. In this state, the two cylindrical members are fixed to each other. In addition, a sealant may be applied to the contact portion between the cylindrical members to prevent the outside air from being mixed.

At the center of the bottom plate 9 of the seal cylinder 7, a circular opening 11 is provided. The opening 11 functions as a breath inlet for introducing a breath sample into the container or as a breath outlet for discharging the breath sample to the outside of the container. A disk-shaped sealing lid 13 is inserted inside the sealing portion cylinder 7 so as to close the opening 11. The seal lid 13 is pressed against the bottom plate 9 by a spiral seal spring 15. The end of the seal spring 15 is in contact with the end face 5c of the drying section cylinder 5, and the end face 5c
Functions as a bearing surface for supporting the seal spring 15. Further, a seal ring 17 is sandwiched between the seal lid 13 and the bottom plate 9. The seal ring 17 is deformed by being pushed by the seal lid 13, and the opening 11 is sealed by the seal ring 17 and the seal lid 13. A protruding portion 13a having a sharp tip is provided on the seal lid 13 inside the container.
Is protruding.

A drying pack 19 is inserted into a drying port 5d inside the drying section cylinder 5. Dry pack 19
Has a cylindrical case 19a in which a desiccant such as silica gel is filled. A dry pack seal ring 20 is provided between the case 19a and the wall surface of the drying port 5d. Dry pack seal ring 20
Is provided, all the breath samples passing through the drying port 5d pass through the inside of the drying pack 19.
A vinyl film is provided on an end 19b of the cylindrical case 19a on the opening 11 side. This vinyl film prevents the dry pack 19 from contacting the outside air before using the breath sample container 1. Further, the protrusion 13 a of the seal lid 13 is provided such that the tip is close to the end 19 b of the drying pack 19.

The cooling part cylinder 3 has a central part 3b, cylindrical parts 3c at both ends, and a tapered part 3d connecting the central part 3b and the cylindrical part 3c. The cooling part 21 is provided inside the central part 3b. Have been. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the breath sample container 1 in the central portion 3b. As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the central portion 3b is substantially rectangular, and the central portion 3b is constituted by a part of a cylinder and cooling walls 23a and 23b, and the cooling walls 23a and 23b are parallel. The cooling unit 21 provided in the central portion 3b has a large number of cold fins 25. The cold fins 25 are made of aluminum having good heat conductivity similarly to the cooling unit cylinder 3, and are arranged in a wave shape, and both ends of each fin are in contact with the inner surfaces of the cooling walls 23a and 23b.

As shown in FIG. 1, an insertion member 27 is inserted inside the cooling unit cylinder 3 and between the cooling unit 21 and the drying pack 19 in order to narrow the gap between them. . The insertion member 27 fits into the cylindrical portion 3c and the tapered portion 3d of the cooling unit cylinder 3 without any gap, and has a large number of exhalation passages 27a provided in the axial direction.

The configuration of the breath sample container 1 has been described above. This container is assembled as follows. The insertion member 27 is inserted into the cooling unit cylinder 3 having the cooling unit 21. Then, the drying unit cylinder 5 is fitted into the cooling unit cylinder 3, and the drying pack 19 is inserted into the drying unit cylinder 5. On the other hand, a seal ring 17 and a seal lid 1
3 and the seal spring 15 are sequentially inserted, and the sealing portion cylinder 7 is fitted into the drying portion cylinder 5. Thus, the breath sample container 1 is assembled. FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the breath sample container 1. In addition, in a state before being used for breath collection, the inside of the breath sample container 1 is filled with an inert gas. Thereby, at the time of breath collection, the breath sample of the subject is mainly enclosed, and the inclusion of other air is suppressed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the configuration of a breath collection apparatus including the breath sample container 1 will be described. The breath sample container 1 has its cooling unit cylinder 3 covered with a heat insulating case 30. The heat insulating case 30 has a function of separating the cooling unit cylinder 3 from the surrounding air, and further has a function of detachably holding the breath sample container 1 at the illustrated breath collecting position. I have. Heat insulation case 3
Numeral 0 is made of a heat insulating material and has a cylindrical shape coaxial with the breath sample container 1. The heat insulation case 30 is divided into an upper case 30a and a lower case 30b, and sandwiches the breath sample container 1 from above and below. Openings 31 are provided on both end surfaces of the heat insulating case 30, and the inner diameter of the opening 31 is set to be the same as the outer diameter of the breath sample container 1. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the opening 31 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the breath sample container 1 without any gap. Also, the upper case 30
a and a rectangular cooling device insertion port 32 are provided on the cylindrical surface of the lower case 30b.
Is used to insert a cooling device described later.

A mouthpiece 33 is fitted to one end of the breath sample container 1. The mouthpiece 33 has a cylindrical shape, and its inner peripheral surface is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the breath sample container 1. The mouthpiece 33 is held by the subject. The mouthpiece 33 is a breath collection port through which the subject blows a breath sample, and communicates with the opening 11 of the breath sample container 1.

Also, the arms 37 are brought into contact with the seal lids 13 at both ends of the breath sample container 1 from outside the container.
Is provided. The arm 37 is attached to an actuator (not shown).
The arm 37 is moved in the container longitudinal direction. The mouthpiece 33 is provided with a slit 33a. Then, the arm 37 on the mouthpiece 33 side moves in the slit 33a. A plate 37a is fixed to the arm 37 on the mouthpiece 33 side. The plate 37a is provided so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the mouthpiece 33 without any gap, and prevents outside air from entering through the slit 33a at the time of breath collection.

A columnar cooling device 41 is inserted into each cooling device insertion port 32 of the heat insulating case 30. Cooling device 41
Is provided so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow X in the figure, and is inserted into and removed from the cooling device insertion port 32. Cooling device 4
The cross-sectional shape of 1 is a quadrangle, and the above-mentioned cooling device insertion port 32 is also a quadrangle. And the cooling device 41
And the heat insulating case 30 are in contact with each other without a gap. Further, the distal end surface 43 of the cooling device 41 is set to be flat, and the cooling device 41
And the cooling walls 23a and 23b.

As the cooling device 41, a device having a well-known principle can be applied. Conventionally, a cryogenic separation method has been used to extract only carbon dioxide gas from a breath sample at the time of breath analysis, and a cooling device used for the cryogenic separation method can be applied to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cooling device 41
Is provided with a Peltier element, and when the Peltier element is energized, the surface temperature of the cooling device 41 decreases. The cooling device 41 is provided with a temperature sensor 45. The temperature sensor 45 is used to monitor the temperature of the tip surface 43 of the cooling device 41. In the present embodiment, the cooling device is set so that the temperature of the distal end surface 43 can be reduced to about 80 to 90 below zero.
The above temperature is a temperature set sufficiently lower than 68 degrees below zero which is the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide gas.

The configuration of the breath collection apparatus including the breath sample container 1 of the present embodiment has been described above. Next, the operation of the breath collection apparatus will be described.

First, the breath sample container 1 is sandwiched between the heat insulating cases 30 from above and below, and is held at the position shown in FIG.
Since the breath sample container 1 has a configuration symmetrical in the longitudinal direction, it may be held in either the left or right direction. And
The mouthpiece 33 is fitted to the end of the breath sample container 1, and the arm 37 is moved by the actuator to stop at the position where it comes into contact with the seal lid 13 (the position in FIG. 4). On the other hand, the cooling device 41 is inserted from the cooling device insertion port 32 of the heat insulating case 30, and the cooling device 41
3 is held at a position in contact with the cooling walls 23a and 23b of the breath sample container 1.

Next, the cooling device 41 starts cooling, and lowers the temperature of the front end surface 43 to 80 to 90 degrees below zero. As the temperature decreases, the temperatures of the cooling walls 23a and 23b of the breath sample container 1 and the cooling unit 21 (cold fin 25) also decrease due to the heat conduction. The temperature of the distal end surface 43 is detected by the temperature sensor 45, and cooling is performed until the temperature of the distal end surface 43 is stabilized at the above value.

Then, the arm 37 is driven by the actuator and moves toward the center of the breath sample container 1. FIG. 5 shows a state after the movement of the arm 37.
The seal lid 13 is moved by being pushed by the arm 37, and the sealing of the opening 11 by the seal lid 13 is released. The seal spring 15 is compressed according to the amount of movement of the seal lid 13. Further, the protrusion 13a of the seal lid 13 breaks through the vinyl film stretched on the end 19b of the dry pack 19 and enters the inside of the pack. Although FIG. 5 shows the mouthpiece 33 side of the breath sample container 1, the same applies to the opposite side.

Immediately after the seal lid 13 is moved by the arm 37, the subject holding the mouthpiece 33 blows out exhalation. When the present apparatus is used for ¹³ C urea breath analysis, urea labeled with ¹³ C is orally administered to a subject in advance.

The breath sample was taken from the mouthpiece 33,
It enters into the breath sample container 1 through the opening 11. Then, the breath sample passes through the drying pack 19, and at the time of passing, the water vapor contained in the breath sample is captured and removed by the desiccant. Note that, as described above, the outer peripheral side of the dry pack 19 is closed by the dry pack seal ring 20, and the breath sample does not pass through this portion. The breath sample dehydrated in the drying pack 19 is
It reaches the cooling part 21 through the exhalation passage 27a of the insertion member 27.

In the cooling unit 21, the breath sample is cooled by touching the cold fin 25. Then, the carbon dioxide gas contained in the breath sample is cooled to a temperature lower than the solidification temperature, and becomes so-called dry ice.
5 adheres to the surface. On the other hand, oxygen and nitrogen in the breath sample pass through the cooling unit 21 without being solidified. This is because the temperature of the cold fin 25 is higher than the solidification temperature of oxygen or nitrogen. In the present embodiment, it is considered that about 98% of the carbon dioxide gas passing through the cooling unit 21 is captured by providing a plurality of cold fins 25 and setting the fin interval narrow. Also, the volume of gaseous carbon dioxide is
It becomes about 1/1000 by solidification.

The breath sample that has passed through the cooling unit 21 passes through the insertion member 27 and the drying pack 19 at the subsequent stage and is discharged from the opening 11. At this time, since the water vapor has already been removed from the breath sample, the dry pack 19 hardly dries the breath sample. Also,
While the opening 11 on the mouthpiece 33 side functions as an exhalation introduction port, here, the opening 11 functions as an exhalation discharge port.

When the breath sample is blown by the subject for a certain period of time and a predetermined amount of breath sample is ventilated into the breath sample container 1, the subject stops blowing and releases the mouthpiece 33. The amount of the breath sample to be blown is set to be almost the same as that in the case of using the conventional breath collection bag, or set slightly larger. As described above, most of the carbon dioxide gas is captured in the cooling unit 21. At this point, several mg of carbon dioxide is captured in the cooling unit 21. If this amount of carbon dioxide gas is obtained, breath analysis such as ¹³ C urea breath analysis can be sufficiently performed.

At the same time as the subject stops blowing, the arm 37 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. The seal lid 13 is pressed in the direction of the opening 11 by the seal spring 15 to seal the opening 11. Next, the cooling device 41
The cooling by the cooling device 41 is terminated.
Pulled out of. Then, the arm 37 is separated from the breath sample container 1, the mouthpiece 33 is pulled out of the breath sample container 1, the heat insulating case 30 is disassembled into an upper case 30a and a lower case 30b, and the breath sample container 1 is taken out. .

Thus, the collection of the breath sample is completed. The distal end surface 43 of the cooling device 41 is
, The temperature of the cooling unit 21 rises, and the solidified carbon dioxide gasifies (sublimates) again. As a result, the pressure in the breath sample container 1 increases, and the increased pressure acts as a pressure for pressing the seal lid 13 toward the opening 11. Therefore, the sealing force with which the sealing lid 13 seals the opening 11 is enhanced. Further, in this state, since the pressure inside the container is high, diffusion and invasion of outside air into the container is prevented.

The breath sample container 1 that has collected the breath sample is transported to the inspection site. At the test site, a breath sample is taken out of the breath sample container 1 using a breath sample taking device. The breath sample container 1 is set in a removal device, and a tube or the like is connected to the opening 11 of the breath sample container 1. Then, the seal lid 13 is pushed in by the same arm as the breath collection device, and the breath sample is discharged from the breath sample container 1 and taken out through the tube. In addition, a heating device that heats the cooling unit 21 of the breath sample container 1 may be provided in the removal device. What is necessary is just to set the structure of a heating device similarly to the cooling device 41 mentioned above. By heating the cooling unit 21, the sublimation of dry ice is promoted, and carbon dioxide can be taken out more quickly.

As described above, the portable expiratory sealed container (expired sample container 1) of the present embodiment and the expired gas collecting apparatus provided with this container have been described. In the present embodiment, the breath sample is dehydrated using the drying pack 19, and the breath sample is cooled by the cooling unit 21. The carbon dioxide gas in the breath sample becomes dry ice and is captured by the cooling unit 21, and oxygen and nitrogen are discharged from the container. That is, in the container, the carbon dioxide in the breath sample is concentrated, and
The solidification reduces the volume of carbon dioxide gas to about one thousandth.

Here, breath analysis usually requires a breath sample of several hundred milliliters to several liters. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the concentration and solidification as described above are performed, the volume of the breath sample container 1 may be very small. Therefore, the breath sample container 1 can be configured to be significantly smaller than a conventional breath collection bag or the like. For example, the outer diameter of the breath sample container 1 of the present embodiment is about 20 mm as described above. Therefore, the breath sample container 1 can be handled and transported like a test tube used for a blood test. It is also possible to put the breath sample container 1 in an envelope and mail it.

In the case of a breath collection bag, a breath sample is introduced into the bag by inflating the bag. Therefore, a fragile material such as a synthetic resin film is used for the bag. In contrast, the breath sample container 1 of the present embodiment
Has a strong structure without having a structure in which the shape of the container body changes. Therefore, handling of the breath sample at the time of transportation is facilitated, and occurrence of leakage or the like due to damage to the container is reduced.

In this embodiment, the heat insulating case 3
0 isolates the cooling device 41 from the air outside the case. Thereby, the cooling efficiency of the cooling device 41 is enhanced. Further, the heat insulating case 30 has a function of suppressing the whole of the breath sample container 1 from being cooled. Thereby, contact of an operator or the like with the low-temperature portion of the breath sample container 1 is avoided.

The cooling unit cylinder 3 of the breath sample container 1
Has a function of minimizing the dead volume inside the container. What is trapped in the cooling unit 21 is mainly carbon dioxide gas. On the other hand, at the end of the breath collection, the breath sample remaining in the space between the cooling unit 21 and the drying pack 19 also contains oxygen and nitrogen.
The smaller the number of such residual breath samples, the more the carbon dioxide gas can be encapsulated in a more concentrated state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by inserting the insertion member 27, the space in which the breath sample containing components other than carbon dioxide gas remains is narrowed.

In addition, the cooling unit 21 of the breath sample container 1
Then, as shown in FIG.
Was provided in a wavy shape. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the cold fins 25 may be provided in a mesh shape.
Also in this case, the surface area of the cold fin 25 can be increased, so that the carbon dioxide gas is efficiently captured.

Embodiment 2 Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention
Will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the breath collection apparatus of the first embodiment, and the description here will focus on the points of modification. FIG. 7 shows an outline of the configuration of the breath collection apparatus of the present embodiment.

In the breath sample container 50 of the second embodiment,
A sealing part cylinder 54 is directly connected to the outside of the cooling part cylinder 52. The cooling unit cylinder 52 is provided with the same cooling unit 21 as in the first embodiment. A seal lid 56, a seal ring 58, and a seal spring 60 are inserted into the seal portion cylinder 54. The end surface of the cooling unit cylinder 52 functions as a seat surface for supporting the seal spring 60. From the breath sample container 50, the dry pack and the insertion member shown in the first embodiment are omitted, and the entire length of the container is shortened accordingly.

One opening 11 of the breath sample container 50
Is connected to a drying unit 64 via a tube 62. In the drying unit 64, a drying pack similar to that of the first embodiment is provided. A mouthpiece 68 is further connected to the drying section 64 via a tube 66.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, this apparatus is provided with a heat insulating case and a cooling device as in the first embodiment, and is provided with an arm for releasing the seal of the breath sample container. ing.

The operation of the breath collection apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. The breath sample container 50 and the cooling device are set in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
Is connected to the tube 62. Then, while the cooling unit 21 is cooled, the subject blows a breath sample from the mouthpiece 68. The breath sample reaches the drying unit 64 via the tube 66, and is dehydrated in the drying unit 64. After passing through the drying section 64, the opening 1 is passed through the tube 62.
1 and flows into the breath sample container 50. Carbon dioxide gas in the breath sample is solidified and captured in the cooling unit 21, and components such as oxygen and nitrogen that are not solidified are collected in the cooling unit 21.
Is discharged through. When the breath collection is completed, the opening 11 of the breath sample container 50 is sealed by the seal lid 56, and the breath sample container 50 is removed. The detailed operation of this apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment.

According to the present embodiment, since the dry pack 19 is provided outside the breath sample container 50, the size of the breath sample container 50 can be further reduced. Note that a vacuum pump may be provided in the apparatus of the present embodiment, and air inside the tube 62 or the like may be extracted before breath collection.
Thereby, the concentration of the breath sample enclosed in the breath sample container 50 can be increased.

[0060]

According to the present invention, since the carbon dioxide gas is solidified in the portable breath-sealing container at the time of collecting the breath sample, the size of the portable breath-sealing container can be reduced. Further, unlike a conventional breath collection bag or the like, the portable breathable sealing container of the present invention can be firmly configured. As described above, handling of the breath sample during transportation becomes easy, and a large number of samples can be transported at one time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portable expiratory enclosure container according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the portable expiratory enclosure of FIG.
It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected at right angles to the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portable expiratory enclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a breath collection device including the portable breath-filled container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 at the time of breath collection.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portable expiratory sealed container in which mesh cooling fins are employed in a cooling section of the container.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a breath collection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow from a breath collection to a breath analysis in a clinical biochemical test using breath.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Portable expiratory sealed container (expired sample container), 11
Opening, 13 Seal lid, 15 Seal spring, 17 Seal ring, 19 Dry pack, 21 Cooling unit, 25
Cold fins, 27 insertion members, 30 heat-insulating cases,
33 mouthpiece, 37 arm, 41 cooling device,
45 Temperature sensor.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A breath collection port through which a subject inhales breath, a removable breathable enclosure that is detachably provided from a device and into which breath is introduced, and an inside of the portable breathable enclosure. A cooling device that cools the carbon dioxide gas to a temperature equal to or lower than the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide gas and solidifies carbon dioxide gas contained in exhaled breath in the portable expiratory sealed container. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein a cooling fin is provided in the portable expiratory enclosure so as to touch expiration in the container, and the cooling device is provided in the portable expiratory enclosure. A breath collection apparatus, wherein said cooling fins are cooled by contact and heat conduction. 3. The breath collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drying member provided in the portable breathable enclosure to remove water vapor from the breath. 4. A portable exhalation-sealing container for sealing and holding expiration, wherein a breath introduction port for introducing expiration and a cooling passage provided in an exhalation flow path in the container, wherein carbon dioxide gas is solidified by cooling the exhalation. A portable expiratory enclosure, comprising: a unit; an exhalation outlet for discharging exhaled air passing through the cooling unit to the outside of the container; and a sealing means for sealing the exhalation inlet and the exhaled air outlet. 5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the cooling unit is provided with cooling fins so as to touch expiration flowing in the container, and the cooling fins are cooled by heat conduction from outside the container. Characterized portable expiratory enclosure. 6. The container according to claim 4, wherein the sealing means is provided so as to close at least one of the exhalation introduction port and the exhalation discharge port from inside the container.
A portable expiratory sealed container characterized in that the sealing force of the sealing means is increased by an increase in the pressure in the container when the solidified carbon dioxide gas is gasified again. 7. The container according to claim 4, further comprising a drying unit provided upstream of the cooling unit in an exhalation flow path in the container and configured to remove water vapor from exhaled air. A portable expiratory enclosure.