Why Exhaled Breath?

Exhaled breath is a unique bodily fluid that can be analyzed by a wide variety of commercially available sensors and biosensors. While most applications will detect substances or diseases in the breath as a gas or aerosol, breath can also be analyzed in the liquid phase as exhaled breath condensate. In either instance, the breath from deep within the lungs (alveolar gas) equilibrates with the blood, and therefore the concentration of molecules present in the breath is very closely correlated with those found in the blood at any given time.

As a diagnostic matrix, exhaled breath offers a huge advantage: Using breath, samples can be collected and tested with results delivered in real time at the point of testing in both the consumer and healthcare environments. There is no need for patient blood samples to be drawn or for samples to be sent to a central lab for results.

Another distinct advantage of using breath is that the sample can be collected non-invasively by asking a patient to blow into the disposable portion of a handheld testing device. Therefore, the sample collection method is the most hygienic of any diagnostic matrix for both the patient and the laboratory personnel.