Claims
- 1. A method of detecting the presence of a pathologic process in a lung of a mammal, the method comprising:
(a) applying a sample of exhaled gas collected from the lung of a mammal to an electronic nose, the electronic nose having a sensor output signal; and (b) analyzing the sensor output signal to determine whether a pathologic process is present in the lung of the mammal.
- 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises applying the sample of exhaled gas to an electronic nose having a sensor element formed by an array of conducting polymers which have an electrical property that varies according to exposure to gases or vapors.
- 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein step (b) includes storing reference electrical property variation characteristics and comparing the reference electrical property variation characteristic with the variation in electrical property characteristics of the conducting polymers in the presence of the sample of exhaled gas.
- 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the electrical property is impedance.
- 5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the mammal is a human.
- 6. A method according to claim 2 wherein the mammal is a human.
- 7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the analyzing step (b) includes:
(i) representing sensor output signals for a plurality of samples of exhaled gas on a multi-dimensional map, (ii) defining clusters on the map which represent areas of a likely pathologic process, and (iii) locating the sensor output signal for a sample of exhaled gas on the map, and determining from the location on the map whether a pathologic process exists in the sample.
- 8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the mammal is a human.
- 9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the multi-dimensional map is a PCA map.
- 10. A method according to claim 7 wherein the multi-dimensional map is a Sammon map.
- 11. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
(c) prior to step (a), collecting a sample of exhaled gas from a ventilator which is in fluid communication with the lung of a mammal, the collected sample being used in step (a).
- 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the mammal is a human.
- 13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the pathologic process is a lung infection.
- 14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the mammal is a human.
- 15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the mammal is a human.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/089,232 filed Jun. 15, 1998 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF INTRAPULMONARY INFECTION AND OTHER INFECTIONS AND DISEASES”
[0002] This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/719,504 filed Feb. 9, 2001 (35 U.S.C. §371 date) entitled “DIAGNOSING INTRAPULMONARY INFECTION AND ANALYZING NASAL SAMPLE, ” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09719504 |
Feb 2001 |
US |
Child |
10227181 |
Aug 2002 |
US |