Faculty Collaboration Database

Exhaled breath condensates: a potential novel technique for detecting aspiration. Am J Med 2003 Aug 18;115 Suppl 3A:137S-143S

Date

08/21/2003

Pubmed ID

12928090

DOI

10.1016/s0002-9343(03)00212-2

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0042659565 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   4 Citations

Abstract

There is an urgent need for diagnostic procedures that can detect aspiration of oral and gastrointestinal (GI) secretions into the respiratory tract. Current approaches are limited by poor sensitivity and specificity. These techniques include (1) adding indicators to feedings; (2) recovery of lipid-filled macrophages in respiratory secretions; (3) measurement of changes in the pH of the upper GI and respiratory tracts; (4) endoscopic visualization of reflux events; and (5) measurement of increased glucose concentrations in respiratory secretions. Ideally, specific markers from various sites in the oral and GI tracts might be discovered in respiratory secretions, but conventional bronchoalveolar lavage for sampling respiratory secretions is not practical and involves some risk. Noninvasive measurements of indicators in the exhaled breath condensates could be used to detect aspiration, but a number of theoretical and practical aspects of such studies must be considered before this approach can be applied to the problem of aspiration.

Author List

Effros RM, Bosbous M, Foss B, Shaker R, Biller J

Author

Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Breath Tests
Gastroesophageal Reflux
Humans
Inhalation