Instrumentation for Monitoring Breath Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Health, Condition, Toxic Exposure, and Disease

The exhaled breath condensate (EBC) sampling procedure is as simple and safe as blowing through a straw, yet provides substrate (EBC) for assays that have proven remarkably useful in identifying lung inflammation and oxidative stress. Most validated is the measurement of EBC pH, which is profoundly low (acidic) in many lung diseases and reflects underlying airway acidification. This proposal seeks funding for development of a continuous exhaled breath pH monitoring system and tests its utility by applying EBC pH measurement to the Intensive Care Unit environment. This novel system to measure minute-by-minute EBC pH will be employed to determine if EBC acidification will predict development of, or worsening of, severe lung diseases including ventilator-associated pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome with or without trauma. Identifying such progression early may allow more successful therapeutic intervention. Additionally examined will be the ability of single EBC pH assays to predict the need for hospitalization in patients presenting to the emergency room with respiratory complaints. These readily available clinical model systems will help determine the utility of EBC pH to provide useful information regarding war-fighters' health.