An Efficient Low-Cost Device for Sampling Exhaled Breath Condensate EBC

Abstract

While exhaled breath condensate EBC is not yet used in routine clinical diagnostics and disease monitoring, recent publications indicate that exhaled air and EBC contain a wide range of molecular biomarkers that are characteristic of various medical conditions. This includes evidently lung disorders such as asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, but also diabetes and several types of cancer go along with specific biomarkers exhaled from the airways. In addition, EBC samples can be collected in a non-invasive way and, due to their small volume, they can be easily stored frozen between collection and analysis. Several home-made EBC-collection systems for research purposes are documented in literature while there are also a few systems from commercial suppliers that are not yet certified as medical products. In this work, a novel collection device is presented in which the EBC is condensed and frozen inside stainless steel tubes, tightly surrounded by an aluminum cylinder that is precooled in a kitchen freezer. The device is low cost, easy to use by patients at home or in a clinic, and its collection efficiency of up to 500 µL min⁻¹ of respiration is on the high side.