JPH0658919A - Method and device for analyzing expiration - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To measure a plurality of constituents with different retention times under same separation conditions quickly without reducing a separation accuracy while reducing the difference in the retention times by combining the plurality of columns with different separation conditions such as the shape of the column and the temperatures of an adsorbent and the column. CONSTITUTION:An expiration intake part 2 is constituted by mounting an expiration collection mask 21 to the tip of a collection tube 22. A sample measurement part 4 is divided into a measuring chamber 43 for acetone and a measuring chamber 44 for 4-heptanone by a four-way solenoid valve 33 and three-way solenoid valves 41 and 42. A detection part 5 consists of a separation column 51 for acetone, a column 52 for separating 4-heptanone, and a detector 53. Then, the constituents sent from the columns 51 and 52 are merged halfway and are introduced to one detector 53. When a measurement signal from the detector 53 is input to a microcomputer 61 of a processing part 6, the concentrations of acetone and 4-heptanone are calculated and output according to a calibration curve which is subjected to arithmetic processing and is stored previously.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel clinical breath analysis method and apparatus capable of rapidly and accurately measuring a plurality of components in exhaled breath in one operation using a gas chromatograph.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, breath has hardly been used as a sample in clinical biochemical tests. This is due to the prejudice that the breath should never be used as a sample for clinical biochemical tests, and that the concentration of measured components in the breath is extremely low (ppb unit, at most ppm unit). Therefore, special equipment and tools (large high-sensitivity gas detector and concentrator for trace components) and skilled personnel are required for measurement, and there are few clinical reports of this type of measurement. Examples of clinical reports known by the present inventor include (1) Dubowski, K, M, Br
eath Analysis as a Technique in Clinical Chemistr
y, Clin.Chem., 20.966〜972,1974, (2) Manolis, A., Th
e Diagnostic Potential of Breath Analysis, Clin.Ch
em., 29.5 ~ 15,1983, (3) Phillips, M., Breath Tests
in Medicine, Scientific American July. 1992. However, only measurement and observation data is described in these.

However, exhaled breath is released continuously and intermittently as long as a person (or animal) maintains life, and its collection is easy and does not cause any pain. It can also be collected from infants, critically ill patients, and people with impaired consciousness. Moreover, since a trace amount of volatile components in the mixed venous blood flowing through the alveolar capillaries move into the exhaled air by gas exchange,
Regarding volatile components, it is presumed that there is a correlation between exhaled breath and blood.

[0004] On the other hand, blood, which currently occupies most of the sample, is accompanied by pain and loss of valuable blood, and particularly in repeated sampling and continuous measurement, it imposes an extremely large burden on the patient. Further, in the current situation where intensive analysis is performed at an analysis center (analysis company) or the like, it takes time from blood collection to analysis, and an error becomes large in measurement of a component easily gasified or a component easily denatured. Therefore, the measurement of these unstable components is only exceptionally performed in a large hospital equipped with a special analyzer. On the other hand, urine is widely used in screening tests because it is excreted and is relatively easy and collected in large amounts, but it has a drawback that the amount of information is smaller than that of blood. Moreover, the subject suffers from emotional distress such as shyness, and continuous measurement cannot be performed, and it is difficult to collect at any time.

Therefore, the present inventors have worked on the development of a clinical test method and apparatus using breath as a sample. However, even if exhaled air is collected in a container, it takes space for storage and transportation, so unlike blood, it cannot be transported to an analysis center or the like for analysis by a large-scale device. In addition, considering the convenience of bedside inspection, prehospital examination in ambulance, screening examination during medical examination, etc., it is small and portable, it is highly sensitive and easy to operate, and safety and measurement speed are also high. Excellent inspection equipment is required. Of course, data reliability and economy are also required.

In view of the above, the present inventors have developed a practical clinical examination method and apparatus using breath as a specimen. this is,
The detector detects the components in the breath separated through the column. As a detector, PID (Photo Ioniza
tion Detector: Photoion detector or IMS (Ion Mobi)
lity Spectrometer: Ion mobility spectrum detector)
Alternatively, such as an ECD (Electron Capture Detector) that emits a measurement signal according to the amount of ionization by irradiating the gas component to be detected in the exhaled gas with light or radiation to ionize it. Is used.
This type of detector is based on FID (Flame Ionization Det
ector: Hydrogen ionization type detector) and FPD (Flame Phot)
Since it does not involve the combustion of hydrogen gas like an ometric detector (flame photometric detector), it can be made safe and compact, and it has higher sensitivity and accuracy than these, and cheap air or nitrogen gas can be used as a carrier gas. There are advantages.

[0007]

Even in the case of exhalation, measurement of a plurality of components may be required as in the case of blood or urine. For example, in the case of screening test of multiple items, when a certain breath component is associated with many diseases and thus a disease is diagnosed by combining with other components, or when measuring multiple components having clinical significance. is there. However,
There may be a large difference in retention time depending on the components.
Even if such components are simultaneously measured by the above-developed device, the time required for one measurement becomes long and it is difficult to use for emergency measurement or screening test.
For example, in the case of acetone and 4-heptanone described in detail below, the retention time of acetone is 50 seconds under a certain separation condition, while the retention time of 4-heptanone is 1860.
Seconds (31 minutes). This takes a long time when measuring a large number of samples.

[0008]

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have incorporated a plurality of columns having different separation conditions (column shape, adsorbent, column temperature), and a plurality of columns having a large difference in retention time under the same separation conditions. This problem was dealt with by making it possible to reduce the difference in retention time and measure in a short time without deteriorating the separation accuracy of the component.

A method of coping with the problem will be described by taking a ketone body in the breath as an example. Conventionally, the measurement of ketone bodies has meant the measurement of acetoacetic acid in blood and urine. That is, acetoacetic acid (AcAc) increases due to increased fat metabolism during diabetes (particularly type I) and pathological starvation (periodic vomiting, etc.) and is used for the diagnosis of these diseases. Rarely 3
-Hydroxybutyric acid (3-OHBA) is also measured, but the amount of acetone (Ac) generated by decarboxylation of acetoacetic acid is excreted in the exhaled air, and the amount thereof is small and hardly measured.

On the other hand, in addition to these, it has recently been reported that a new fat metabolite (ketone body), namely 4-heptanone, may be present in urine. (Liebich HM G
as chromatographic-Mass Spectrometric Determinatio
n of Total 4-Heptanone, ANew Marker in Diabetes Me
llitus: Journal of Chromatography, vol 273,67-75,1
983. Liebich HM Gas chromatographic Profiling o
f Ketone Bodies and Organic Acids in Diabetes, ibid,
vol 379, 347-366, 1986.). According to this report, three components (acetone, acetoacetic acid,
And 3-hydroxybutyric acid) increase in all three components in the same manner as in ketoacidosis, but 4-heptanone, which is a new index, increases when ketoacidosis is improved and three components decrease. is there. That is,
In the case of hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis, the concentrations of the three components are high, and the concentration of 4-heptanone is low. In the state of
When the medical condition is well controlled by dietary therapy and the like, the concentrations of the three components are low and the 4-heptanone concentration is high. And both healthy people are low.

On the basis of this finding, when the present inventor measured the exhaled breath, the same results as above were obtained. However, since the concentration of acetone was high in the case of exhalation, acetone was measured as a representative component of the conventional three components. Although the measurement of ketone bodies in blood and urine is costly and laborious, breath analysis is extremely simple. Therefore, the measurement of acetone and 4-heptanone in the exhaled breath has great significance as a monitor for diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

However, when acetone and 4-heptanone were measured by the breath analyzer (single column: column temperature 60 ° C.) developed by the present inventors, the gas chromatogram obtained was as shown in FIG. 2 (a). Become. As can be seen from the figure, acetone (peak # 1) has a retention time of 50 seconds, while 4-heptanone (peak # 2) has a retention time of 186.
It will be 0 seconds (31 minutes). This is acetone (boiling point 56.5
It seems that it is due to the difference in boiling point between (C) and 4-heptanone (boiling point is 150 C), but this loses its practicality as a clinical biochemical test device. In FIG. 2 (a), peak # 3 is acetaldehyde, peak # 4 is isoprene and peak # 3.
5 is ethanol and peak # 6 is isopropanol. Then, when the temperature of the single column was set to 150 ° C. and the exhalation was measured in the same manner, the graph shown in FIG. 2 (b) was obtained this time. In this case, the retention time of 4-heptanone (peak # 8) was greatly shortened to 135 seconds (2.25 minutes), but acetone was measured as it was poorly separated from acetaldehyde and other low-boiling compounds (peak # 7). Therefore, accurate measurement is impossible.

The present invention has been made to solve this problem, and one of the features of the present invention is that it is constructed by a multi-channel system using a plurality of columns having different separation conditions. In the case of the above-mentioned ketone body, two columns were used in which the adsorbent and the shape of the column were unchanged and only the set temperatures were set to 60 ° C and 150 ° C. In general, a suitable temperature may be selected in the range of 40 to 60 ° C. for the low temperature column and about 100 to 200 ° C. for the high temperature column according to the measurement components. In addition to the temperature, the retention time can be further shortened by selecting the optimum column shape and adsorbent for the gas to be measured. When using three or more, it is advisable to use a combination of temperature, column structure, and packing material.

As in the case of diabetes, it seems that there are many test subjects for which it is preferable to use a plurality of columns.
Cirrhosis test and neonatal test are also suitable examples. In the case of severe liver cirrhosis, low boiling point ammonia (-33.4 ℃) and methyl mercaptan (6 ℃), and high boiling point lower fatty acid such as acetic acid (118.1 ℃) and propionic acid (141.1.
℃), isobutyric acid (154.5 ° C), butyric acid (163.5 ° C),
Isovaleric acid (176 ° C) is contained in the exhaled breath. A low temperature (eg 40 ° C.) and a high temperature (eg 150 ° C.) column are also required for the rapid and accurate separation measurement of these. In addition, when examining inborn errors of metabolism such as hyperammonemia, phenylketonuria, and isovaleric acidemia, the presence of these gases in the exhaled breath is also checked at low temperature (ammonia ) And high temperature (the latter two)
The column can be used for accurate and rapid measurement.

The breath analysis device developed for use in the above-mentioned breath test will be described below. The breath analyzer according to the present invention is roughly composed of an breath blowing unit, a carrier gas supply unit, a sample measuring unit, a detection unit and an arithmetic processing unit. Of these, particularly for the detection unit, both the column and the detector have a special structure because of the demand for high-sensitivity and high-accuracy rapid measurement and miniaturization. As the column, both a packed column and a capillary column are used, but a capillary column is preferable because it requires a small amount of sample and a sensitive chromatogram can be obtained. In addition, depending on the exhaled breath component to be measured, the column sets the structure and type of adsorbent (filler or liquid layer) and heating temperature so that the retention time is within several minutes, preferably within 2-3 minutes. And install multiple of them. The adsorbent is selected for each gas to be detected from among various conventionally known fillers and liquid layers in consideration of various conditions required for inspection such as measurement accuracy, reproducibility, and speed.

On the other hand, as the detector, the above-mentioned PID, IMS or ECD is used. The most preferred of the detectors is a radiation free photoion detector (PID). This detector uses light (ultraviolet light) whose detected gas component has energy greater than its ionization potential.
It utilizes the phenomenon that ionization occurs when irradiated with. Then, the amount of ionization is converted into an ion current by the electrode and taken out, and the concentration of the gas component to be detected is determined by the magnitude of the ion current. The number of detectors may be the same as that of columns, but one detector is sufficient when there is a difference in retention time.

Next, the expiratory breathing unit supplies expiratory gas (exhaled gas) to the sample measuring unit, and an expiratory air collector such as a mouthpiece or an expiratory gas sampling mask is attached to the tip of the sampling tube (or sampling tube). It is composed of The exhalation breathing part, especially the collection tube, has an inner surface equal to or higher than the body temperature, for example, 36 to 100 ° C., preferably 40 to 50 ° C.
It is desirable to heat it up to about ℃. This is to prevent moisture in the exhaled air from condensing and adhering to the inner wall of the collection tube, and dissolving and adsorbing the exhaled breath component there. For heating, a heating element may be arranged around or inside the collection tube, or the tube may be made of a material having an exothermic property and the outer circumference thereof may be covered with a heat insulating material. Moreover, you may incorporate a temperature control mechanism. If the exhalation collector is of the disposable type, it is hygienic.

Instead of directly blowing the exhaled breath, the exhaled breath may be once collected in a large-sized syringe, a breath bag such as a gas bag or the like, and then supplied to the device from a collection tube. Alternatively, the exhaled breath quantitatively collected with a syringe may be injected from an exhaled breath sample injection section provided in front of the column. In these cases as well, it is necessary to keep the interior of the breath collection device such as a syringe, a gas bag, or a syringe warm or warm by keeping it warm.

The sample measuring section is a section for collecting and securing a fixed amount of the exhaled breath supplied from the exhaled breath blowing section as an exhaled breath sample. This sampling may be performed by the patient positively pushing in the exhaled air, but more preferably, the sampling pump sucks or pushes the exhaled air. With a pump, exhaled breath samples can be easily collected from infants and unconscious persons, and the contamination (carryover) on the inner wall of the collection tube due to the exhaled breath of the previous patient is purged by suction of the exhaled breath of the atmosphere or the next patient. It has the advantage that it can be removed.

The structure of the sample measuring section is, for example, that two sets of valves are provided in a part of the carrier gas flow path to form a measuring chamber between them, and the end of the sampling tube is connected to the front end of the measuring chamber via the valve, It is conceivable to use a 6-way valve (injection valve), or to connect the end of the collection tube to a cylinder and use the cylinder as a measuring chamber to inject the collected breath sample into the carrier gas channel.

In the case of the present invention, since a plurality of columns are incorporated, if the same number of sample weighing units are provided, accurate measurement can be performed. Alternatively, the sample metering unit may be set as one set, and the obtained exhaled breath sample may be equally divided and injected into each column, or a switching valve may be provided between the sample metering unit and the column group to sequentially inject. The amount of exhaled sample injected into each column is 0.05 to 5.0 depending on the capacity of the detector.
It is about ml. More preferably, it is about 0.1 to 0.8 ml. The sample measuring unit, especially the measuring chamber, must be kept at a constant temperature above the body temperature (for example, about the same level as the sampling tube) in order to prevent moisture from adhering and keep the mass of the exhaled sample constant.

The carrier gas supply section sends out a carrier gas for sending the exhaled breath sample to the separation column, and a small gas cylinder is preferable as a supply source in view of portability of the present inspection apparatus. However, a large gas cylinder can also be used when the inspection device is installed and used in a certain place. In the case of the present invention, inexpensive clean air or nitrogen gas can be used as a carrier gas, but helium and other commonly used gases can be used. When air is used as the carrier gas, ordinary air may be supplied by a compression pump without filling the cylinder. In this case, in order to eliminate the influence of a trace amount of gas components in the atmosphere, it is necessary to clean with an air filter incorporating an adsorbent or the like.

The main part of the arithmetic processing unit is a microcomputer, which receives the measurement signal output from the detector and performs arithmetic processing to calculate the concentration of the exhaled breath component to be inspected from the calibration curve stored in advance. The operation program of the entire device is managed by storing it as clinical test data, outputting it to a display device (display) or recording device (printer), and receiving an input signal from a keyboard.

In using the exhalation analyzer of the present invention having the above-described structure, first, the sample collector is attached to the mouth or face, and the measurement start button on the keyboard is pressed, while the patient exhales for several seconds. To do. If you stop breathing for a while (10 to 20 seconds) before exhalation and discard a small amount of exhaled breath immediately after exhalation, the remaining exhaled breath can be treated as a lung foam component equilibrated with the mixed venous blood gas partial pressure and can be measured with good reproducibility. Can be done. Exhaled air is then aspirated through the collection tube, a portion of which is collected in the metering chamber and introduced into each column by the carrier gas. The minute amount of the exhaled components separated and developed in each column is ionized in the detector from the one with a short retention time,
The amount of ionization is detected with high sensitivity. The output of the detector is arithmetically processed, the concentration of each component is calculated from each stored calibration curve, and stored as clinical test data or output to an output device. One measurement is completed within a few minutes.

In addition, in the inspection device of the present invention, particularly, the device provided with the sampling pump, the device automatically processes after simply exhaling, so that elderly people, newborns, and people with consciousness disabilities can also use it. Easy inspection. Moreover, since it does not cause any pain to the patient and the device is small and can be measured in a short time by simple operation, it is particularly suitable for continuous tests such as stress tests and monitoring of the course of diabetes, as well as single tests for diabetes. It is preferable.

[0026]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples. The present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exhalation analyzer 1 according to the present invention. The inspection apparatus 1 is composed of an expiratory breathing unit 2, a carrier gas supply unit 3, a sample weighing unit 4, a detection unit 5, an arithmetic processing unit 6, a keyboard 7 as an input device, a printer 8 as an output device, and a display 9. ing. The detection unit 5 is provided with two columns for acetone separation and 4-heptanone separation, and two measuring chambers.

The exhalation blow-in unit 2 is constructed by attaching an exhalation sampling mask 21 as an exhalation collector to the tip of a sampling tube 22. The sampling tube 22 has an inner diameter of 1 to
A Teflon tube 23 having a length of about 5 mm and a length of about 1.5 m is covered with a heater 24 and a heat insulating material 25. The inside of the Teflon tube 23 is heated to prevent moisture in the exhaled air from adhering thereto. The heating is performed by adjusting an arbitrary temperature of 36 to 100 ° C., for example, 40 ° C. by the controller. A mouthpiece may be used instead of the breath collection mask 21. The rear end of the collection tube 22 is connected to the four-way electromagnetic valve 33.

The carrier gas supply unit 3 comprises a small air cylinder 31 containing clean air, a carrier gas flow path 32, and a four-way electromagnetic valve 33. The carrier gas channel 32 is
The air cylinder 31 is connected to a four-way electromagnetic valve 33, and the electromagnetic valve 33 branches into two to reach a separation column. Each branched carrier gas flow path 32
Flow rate adjusters 34 and 35 may be provided in A and 32B, respectively.

The sample metering section 4 includes a carrier gas flow path 3
It is a part of 2. That is, the carrier gas flow paths 32A, 32 branched at the four-way electromagnetic valve 33
Providing three-way electromagnetic valves 41 and 42 in the part B,
The portion partitioned by the electromagnetic valve 33 and the electromagnetic valve 41 is a measurement chamber 43 for acetone, the electromagnetic valve 33 and the electromagnetic valve 4.
A portion partitioned by 2 is used as a measuring chamber 44 for 4-heptanone. Both electromagnetic valves 41 and 43 are connected to the exhaust tube 4
It is connected to the suction pump 47 via 5, 46. still,
The carrier gas flow channels 32A and 32B are also connected to the collection tube 22.
The same material is used as above, and the same is heated to about 40 ° C. The volume of each measuring chamber 43, 44 is about 0.5 ml, but may be set separately according to the separation conditions. In the case where the suction pump 47 is omitted, the patient takes a form in which exhalation is pressed.

When a fixed amount of exhaled air is collected in the syringe instead of directly inhaling the exhaled air (including the case of using a gas bag or a large syringe), the expiratory air blowing section 2 described above is used.
Alternatively, an exhaled breath sample injecting section 54 may be provided in front of the column, and the exhaled breath sample measured from this may be supplied to each column.

The detection section 5 comprises an acetone separation column 51, a 4-heptanone separation column 52 and a detector 53.
Composed of. As the column 51 for acetone separation,
For example, a capillary column (PEG-20M, 0.25mm
φ × 25 m, film thickness of stationary phase liquid is 0.25 μm), column temperature is 60 ° C., and carrier gas flow rate is 2 ml / min. The same column for 4-heptanone separation 52 as that for acetone is used, and the column temperature is set to 150 ° C. for separation. The components sent out from each column join together on the way and are guided to one detector 53. A photoion detector (PID) is used as the detector 53. Although not shown, two detectors may be provided. Further, 4-heptanone and other components having a long retention time, which are separated by the column for acetone, may be removed by backflushing.

When the measurement signal from the detector is input to the microcomputer 61 of the arithmetic processing section 6, the arithmetic processing is performed here, and acetone and 4-
The concentration of heptanone is calculated and output to the printer 8 and the display 9 as clinical test data. Figure 2 (a) shows
It is a gas chromatogram of the breath sample when only the column 51 for acetone separation is used. As is clear from this figure, the peak of acetone (peak # 1) clearly appears at a retention time of about 50 seconds, and acetic aldehyde, isoprene, ethanol, isopropanol, etc. It is shown separated accurately. FIG. 2B is a gas chromatogram of the breath sample analyzed using only the 4-heptanone separation column 52. In this case, acetone and other low-boiling compounds do not show sufficient separation (peak # 7), but 4-heptanone (peak # 8) clearly appears at a retention time of about 2 minutes.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, both columns are used in combination and only one detector 53 is used.
Since the retention times of acetone and 4-heptanone are set so as to be different from each other, the gas chromatograms as shown in FIG. 3 are sequentially detected by the detector 53 without overlapping. This is the same as the synthesized form of the gas chromatograms (charts) of FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). The clinical test data may be output to a printer or a display, and may be stored in the microcomputer 61.

In the measurement by the apparatus of this embodiment, first, the main switch of the keyboard 7 is turned on to stabilize the temperature of each part, and then the exhalation sampling mask 21 is applied to the patient's face and the measurement start button on the keyboard 7 is pressed. . Called exhalation B
Is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the suction pump 47, a part of which is filled in the measuring chambers 43, 44, and the electromagnetic valves 33, 41,
By closing 42, a fixed amount of breath sample S1 (for acetone analysis) and S2 (for 4-heptanone analysis) are collected. Expiration is about 5 seconds. The exhaled breath samples S1 and S2 are sent into the columns 51 and 52 by the carrier gas A sent from the air cylinder 41 to be developed, and are separated and fractionated due to the difference in the retention time of each component gas, and sequentially in the detector 53. Is ionized by. The ionization amounts of acetone and 4-heptanone are converted into electric signals and output, and the arithmetic processing unit 6 performs arithmetic processing to measure, store and display the concentrations of acetone and 4-heptanone from a calibration curve stored in advance. It The measurement is completed in about 3 minutes after exhalation of breath.

Next, in the breath analyzer 10 shown in FIG. 4, one set of measuring chambers 49 is provided, and columns 51 and 52 are provided in parallel.
A distributor or a switch 50 is installed between the measuring chamber 49 and the measuring chamber 49. In addition, the measuring chamber 49 has a sampling tube 22.
Is extended and sandwiched between two sets of three-way electromagnetic valves 36 and 48. The other structure is the same as that of the device of the experimental example shown in FIG.

[0036]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention is a breath analyzer for analyzing a breath sample of a subject to measure the concentration of a trace amount of component gas contained in the breath. The exhaled breath sample supplied from the exhaled breath blowing section is sent through a column to a detector that irradiates the components with ultraviolet rays or radiation to ionize them, and the concentration of the gas component to be detected is measured. Therefore, it has the following features. In the exhalation analysis, a plurality of components, which have a large difference in retention time under the same separation condition, can be measured rapidly, highly accurately and with good reproducibility without being affected by other components. Therefore, it is far more advantageous than conventional test methods such as urine analysis which has a problem in detection sensitivity such as a ketone body and blood analysis which requires cost and labor. Moreover, since exhaled breath is a non-invasive, non-invasive sample,
Does not cause pain, fear, or pressure to the patient. Therefore, the burden on the patient for repeated measurement such as stress test and continuous observation is completely eliminated, and the test result can be obtained immediately, so that the disease can be detected early inevitably. Since it uses a detector that does not require combustion of hydrogen gas and can measure with high sensitivity and in a short time, downsizing of the device,
The operation can be simplified, the measurement can be speeded up, and the inspection cost is extremely low. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to inhale the breath from the breath collector, it is not necessary to give special training to the operator, and in the case where the sampling pump is incorporated, infants, critically ill patients, people with consciousness disorder, etc. A sample can be easily collected from

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an exhalation analyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 (a) is a gas chromatogram obtained by separating an exhaled breath sample with an acetone separation column, and FIG. 2 (b) is a gas chromatogram obtained by separating the exhaled breath sample with a 4-heptanone separation column. Is.

FIG. 3 is a gas chromatogram of an exhaled breath sample measured by the device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another example of the breath analyzer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Breath Analyzer 2 Breathing Blow 3 Carrier Gas Supply 4 Sample Measuring 43 43 Acetone Measuring Chamber 44 4-Heptanone Measuring Chamber 49 Measuring Chamber 50 Distributor or Switcher 5 Detector 51 Acetone Separation Column 52 4-Heptanone Separation column 53 Detector 54 Breath sample injection unit 6 Arithmetic processing unit 10 Breath analysis device B Breath S Breath sample S1 Breath sample S2 Breath sample

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A clinical test apparatus for differentially measuring components in an exhaled breath sample supplied from an exhaled breath injecting part or an injecting part by gas chromatography, and a plurality of components having a large difference in retention time under the same separation conditions. In order to bring the two into close proximity to each other without degrading the separation accuracy, a plurality of columns in which separation conditions such as column adsorbent and temperature are set for each component are installed. 2. The breath analysis device according to claim 1, wherein the same number of sample measurement units as the number of columns are provided for measuring the breath sample. 3. A set of sample measuring units for measuring an exhaled breath sample is provided, and a distributor or a switch is arranged between the plurality of columns arranged in parallel and the sample measuring units.
The breath analysis device described. 4. The breath analysis device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of columns are provided and the selected temperature is set to a high level or a low level. 5. A method for separately measuring a plurality of components in an exhaled breath sample by gas chromatography, wherein the exhaled breath sample supplied from an exhaled breath injecting section or an injecting section is introduced into a plurality of columns having different separation conditions and the same. The breath analysis method is characterized in that a plurality of components having a large difference in retention time under the separation conditions are measured by shortening the difference in retention time without decreasing the separation accuracy.