MXPA97007786A - A device for detecting components in aireexhal - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for detecting one or more components in the exhalation air includes a tubular element at the end of which exhalation air is introduced and at the other end of which an absorbent plate absorbs the component (s), where the plate can be attached. be disassembled to determine the components in a measuring device

Description

A DEVICE FOR DETECTING COMPONENTS IN AI EX EXHALED The present invention relates to a device for detecting one or more components in exhaled air and particularly for detecting the presence of the pathogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori in the stomach and intestinal tract of humans.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The gaseous components can be analyzed in various ways, such as gas chromatography, flame photometry and spectrophotometry, for example. These methods, however, require the use of expensive equipment and are much more advanced in many cases. The simple, alternative methods are those in which the gas is absorbed by a material and the presence or absence of a gaseous component is indicated with the help of a heat indicator. Examples in this regard are blow tubes, used to indicate the presence of alcohol in exhalation air. These devices have the disadvantage of not being constructed for separate measurements on the absorbent material. Certain conditions and diseases can be indicated by analyzing the exhalation air. For example, stomach ulcers are caused mainly by the pathogenic bacteria Helicobacter pylori. A method has been described to indicate the presence of this bacterium and has been applied in clinical research for several years. According to this method, patients take a preparation of urea labeled with isotope, preferably radioactive. Helicobacter pylori present in the gastric and intestinal tract will dissuade urea to carbon dioxide, among other materials. This carbon dioxide is then transported to the lungs through the body's normal physiology, where it is exhaled along with the carbon dioxide that has been formed in the remaining body organs. Since the carbon dioxide that is formed by the bacteria is marked, the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled can be measured by causing the patient to blow exhalation air through a tube and into a liquid that absorbs carbon dioxide. This liquid is then examined with the aid of appropriate measuring instruments, for example, a scintillator counter, to indicate that the components marked with isotope in the exhaled carbon dioxide as a symbol of the presence of Helicobacter pylori. The method mentioned above is relatively complicated and time consuming. In addition, it requires the use of the expensive, bulky device. Additionally, no product to carry out this method is available commercially and currently.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for use in the detection of one or more components in the exhalation air. The apparatus must be producible at low costs and must meet the long-term storage and reproducibility requirements of the test results. Another object is also to obviate the complex handling of liquids and the use of analysis instruments that consume space. These objects are completed by the present invention, which relates to a device consisting of a tubular element, which can be rigid or soft like a plastic bag and through which air is conducted, a nozzle is formed on one end of the tube. The opposite end of the tube is fitted with a plate, which can be either a watertight plate or a porous membrane. The plate is attached to the tube in a manner in which they are allowed to move easily therefrom. The adaptation plate can be either the device form of the screw or snap coupling, or it can simply be comprised of adhesive tape. An absorbent, dry, on or incorporated material may be mounted on the plate. This absorbent material is adapted only to absorb a specific amount of a desired gaseous component. A color indicator on the absorbent substance indicates when the maximum amount of the gaseous component has been absorbed. When an airtight plate is used, the outer edge of the plate is perforated to allow air to pass out and with it allows the flow of air through the tube. The patient blows exhalation air through the mouthpiece and causes air to flow between or through the plate. The plate can be separated from the tube when the plate becomes saturated. The plate is then analyzed in an appropriate measuring instrument, to indicate the presence or absence of components in question. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is used to indicate the presence of isotope-labeled carbon dioxide in the exhalation air, and in particular to indicate the presence of radioactive carbon dioxide formed as a conversion product of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori . For this purpose, the plate is mounted thereon or incorporates a carbon dioxide absorbing material. A patient administered with radioactive labeled urea is requested to blow through the device of the invention. Carbon dioxide, including radio-labeled carbon dioxide, is absorbed onto the plate. The plate is then removed from the device and analyzed for radioactivity in an appropriate measuring device, to indicate the presence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The present invention thus provides a simple device for use and the indication of presence or absence of components in the exhalation air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAMETERS Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inventive device. Figure 2a is a top view of a further embodiment of the device of the invention. Figure 2b is a side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 2a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGUAS Figure 1 mainly illustrates the mode in which a porous membrane is used and the air must be caused to flow through the plate. The device comprises a tubular element 1 provided with an end nozzle 2. An absorbent plate 3 is removably adapted to the opposite end. When a watertight plate is used in this embodiment, the outer edge of the plate will be perforated with holes 4, to allow air to flow through the device. These perforations are excluded when a porous membrane is used. Figures 2a and 2b show two views of a suitable device mode when a watertight plate is used. The reference signs used in the Figures correspond to thused in Figure 1. The dotted line in Figure 2b indicates that the total of the upper part of the device including the plate can be separated from the lower part and inserted into an instrument. measurement. When a porous membrane is used, the device with perforations 4 is not provided. When the device is used, a patient exhales through the nozzle 2. The exhalation air then passes through a tubular element 1, and flows through it. plate 3 or between plate 3, and outwardly through holes 4. The tube is constructed to ensure maximum contact between the air flow and the absorbent plate. Subsequent to having a maximum amount absorbed from the gaseous component, as indicated by the color indicator, the plate of the tubular element is removed and inserted into a measuring instrument for the indication of a desired component. Alternatively, the total of the upper part, including the plate, is dismounted from the rest of the device and inserted into the measuring instrument.

The device can be made of any suitable material, preferably cardboard, paper or plastic or different types. Examples of plastics that can be used are polyethylene, polystyrene or PVC. It is appropriate that the device can be sterilized by radiation or heat. The absorbent material will vary depending on the component to be indicated. Examples of the carbon dioxide absorbing materials are sodium hydroxide and sodium lime. The color reaction on the plate that signals when the plate is saturated can be achieved with the use of sodium lime, commercially available as a color indicator. Part of a device below or on an absorbent material will preferably be transparent, so that the colorful reaction can be absorbed. The components that are to be detected can, for example, be marked or labeled by means of isotopes. The measuring instrument used to detect marked components will vary according to a marker. For example, radioactively labeled components can be indicated with a Geiger Müller tube. From the aspect of mechanical strength, the device will preferably be packaged in a sealed bag in a durable environment, for example, in a nitrogen gas environment when a carbon dioxide absorbing material is used. The device can be conveniently adapted to be used only once for hygienic reasons.

Claims (6)

1 . A device for use in the detection of one or more components in the exhalation air, comprising a tubular element through which exhalation air and one end of which the exhalation air is introduced, and characterized in that at the other end of the tubular element there is provided a plate having mounted on it or incorporated therein a material that will absorb the components, the components that come into contact with the plate and the material when exhaled inside the device , and that the plate is removable to determine the component (s) in a measuring device.

2. The device in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the material is mounted on the surface of a hermetic plate and in which the exhalation air comes into contact with the material by causing air to flow between the plate.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plate has the shape of a porous membrane in which the absorbent material mounted. in it it is incorporated here; and where the exhalation air comes into contact with the material by causing air to flow through the membrane.

4. The device according to claims 1-3, characterized in that such material is a carbon dioxide that absorbs the material.

5. The device according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the absorbent material includes a color indicator.

6. The device according to any of claims 1-5, to indicate that the carbon dioxide is formed as a conversion product from Helicobacter pylori in the gastrointestinal tract.