Apparatus for diagnosing lung cancer based on exhaled breath and method for diagnosing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023296583-A1
Application number	US-202217978096-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2022
Priority date	Mar 18, 2022
Publication date	Sep 21, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus for diagnosing a disease and a method for diagnosing same. The apparatus includes a pump for pumping respiratory gas, a first pre-treatment portion connected to the pump and removing moisture and bad breath in the respiratory gas, and a volatile organic compound detector connected between the first pre-treatment portion and the pump and detecting volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A disease diagnostic apparatus comprising:
a pump configured to pump respiratory gas; a first pre-treatment portion connected to the pump and configured to remove moisture and bad breath in the respiratory gas; a second pre-treatment portion disposed between the first pre-treatment portion and the pump and configured to regulate humidity of the respiratory gas; a third pre-treatment portion disposed between the second pre-treatment portion and the pump and configured to regulate noise of non-polar volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas; and a volatile organic compound detector connected between the third pre-treatment portion and the pump and configured to detect volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas.

2 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth pre-treatment portion which is connected between the third pre-treatment portion and the volatile organic compound detector and regulates noise of polar volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas.

3 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the fourth pre-treatment portion comprises:
a phenol bubbler configured to evaporate a phenol solution; and a phenol gas sensor disposed between the phenol bubbler and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to detect a phenol gas in the volatile organic compounds.

4 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the phenol bubbler comprises:
a phenol bath configured to store the phenol solution; and a first carrier gas supplier which is connected to the phenol bath and provides a first carrier gas into the phenol solution to generate the phenol gas.

5 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pre-treatment portion comprises:
a first chamber; a moisture filter disposed inside the first chamber and configured to remove the moisture; and a bad breath filter disposed between the moisture filter and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to remove the bad breath.

6 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pre-treatment portion further comprises a first heater which is disposed in the first chamber and surrounds the moisture filter and the bad breath filter.

7 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second pre-treatment portion comprises:
a water bubbler configured to evaporate DI water; and a hygrometer provided between the water bubbler and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to detect humidity of the respiratory gas.

8 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the water bubbler comprises:
a water bath configured to store the DI water; and a second carrier gas supplier which is connected to the water bath and provides a second carrier gas into the DI water to generate water vapor of the DI water.

9 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the third pre-treatment portion comprises:
a benzene bubbler configured to evaporate a benzene solution; and a non-polar volatile organic compound gas sensor disposed between the benzene bubbler and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to detect a benzene gas in the volatile organic compounds.

10 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the benzene bubbler comprises:
a benzene bath configured to store the benzene solution; and a third carrier gas supplier which is connected to the benzene bath and provides a third carrier gas into the benzene solution to generate the benzene gas.

11 . A disease diagnostic apparatus comprising:
a first intake line; a volatile organic compound detector connected to the first intake line and configured to detect volatile organic compounds in respiratory gas; a first pre-treatment portion connected between the volatile organic compound detector and the first intake line and configured to remove moisture and bad breath in the respiratory gas; a second pre-treatment portion connected between the first pre-treatment portion and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to regulate humidity of the respiratory gas; a third pre-treatment portion connected between the second pre-treatment portion and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to regulate noise of non-polar volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas; and a fourth pre-treatment portion connected between the third pre-treatment portion and the volatile organic compound detector and configured to regulate noise of polar volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas.

12 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 11 , comprising:
a second intake line configured to connect the fourth pre-treatment portion to the volatile organic compound detector; a third intake line configured to connect the first pre-treatment portion to the second pre-treatment portion; a fourth intake line configured to connect the second pre-treatment portion to the third pre-treatment portion; a fifth intake line configured to connect the third pre-treatment portion to the fourth pre-treatment portion; and a first bypass line which is branched from the first intake line and connected to the second intake line, thereby bypassing the first pre-treatment portion.

13 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a second bypass line which is branched from the first bypass line and connected to the second intake line, thereby bypassing the second pre-treatment portion.

14 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a third bypass line which is branched from the second bypass line and connected to the second intake line, thereby bypassing the third pre-treatment portion.

15 . The disease diagnostic apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a fourth bypass line which is branched from the third bypass line and connected to the second intake line, thereby bypassing the fourth pre-treatment portion.

16 . A disease diagnostic method comprising:
pumping respiratory gas; removing moisture in the respiratory gas by using a moisture filter; removing bad breath in the respiratory gas by using a bad breath filter; regulating humidity of the respiratory gas to reference humidity by evaporating DI water; regulating concentration of benzene gas in the respiratory gas to first reference concentration by evaporating a benzene solution; and detecting volatile organic compounds in the respiratory gas by using a sensor array, thereby determining whether a lung cancer is in the human body.

17 . The disease diagnostic method of claim 16 , further comprising regulating concentration of phenol gas in the respiratory gas to second reference concentration by evaporating a phenol solution.

18 . The disease diagnostic method of claim 16 , further comprising regulating humidity of the respiratory gas to reference humidity by evaporating DI water.

19 . The disease diagnostic method of claim 16 , wherein the reference humidity is 40% to 60%.

20 . The disease diagnostic method of claim 16 , wherein the first reference concentration is 0.1 ppm to 0.5 ppm.

Assignees

• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Inst
• Seoul Nat Univ Hospital

Inventors

• Lee Dae-Sik
• Jheon Sang Hoon
• Lee Hyung-Kun
• Hwang Yoohwa
• Kim Doyeob
• Kim Chang-Beom
• Lee Jin Oh

Classifications

• G01N2800/12

  Pulmonary diseases · CPC title

• G01N33/0016

  by regulating a physical variable, e.g. pressure or temperature · CPC title

• G01N33/497 Primary

  of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath · CPC title

• G01N1/2205

  with filters · CPC title

• G01N33/0047 Primary

  Organic compounds · CPC title