New Sensor Detects Pneumonia in Critically Ill Patients

A study has shown that a new sensor has the ability to quickly and accurately diagnose pneumonia in critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in San Diego, CA (USA).
In the study, 415 mechanically ventilated, critical care patients were screened for the presence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) using a clinical pneumonia score (CPIS). Patients with high CPIS scores were enrolled in the study as well as control patients who had no evidence of pneumonia. An exhaled breath sample was taken from each patient directly from the expiratory limb of the ventilator circuit into a Cyranose, or "electronic nose,” made by Cyrano Sciences (Pasadena, CA, USA). The technology has been previously used in the food and perfume industries.
The e-nose contains an array of sensors consisting of carbon-black/polymer composites. The patient's exhaled breath gas was passed over these sensors, which interact with volatile molecules to produce unique patterns that are displayed in two-dimensional patterns on a computer screen. The results were analyzed using pattern recognition algorithms and assessed for a correlation between the actual CPIS scores and the one predicted by the e-nose. The researchers found that the nose made clear distinctions between the patients who were infected and those who were not.
When it comes to lower pulmonary infections, especially in critically ill patients, quick timing is imperative for disease control. "Rather than waiting two to three days for the results of a bacterial culture or relying on chest x-rays which aren't always accurate, the e-nose can give us a head start toward a proper diagnosis,” said C. William Hanson, III, M.D., associate professor of anesthesia, surgery, and internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia, USA) and lead author of the study.



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