Breath Test Identifies Heart Failure in Patients

Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is the most common indication for hospital admission, particularly in the elderly where using conventional clinical methods is unreliable.

The identification of those with impending decompensation frequently leaves insufficient lag time for therapeutic interventions, but by analyzing single puff of exhaled air from patients, it is possible to quickly determine whether they have heart failure.

Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH, USA), collaborating with others, conducted a prospective, single-center cohort study to assess the feasibility of exhaled breath analysis to identify patients admitted for ADHF. Of the 61 patients involved in the study, 25 had been hospitalized with heart failure as a primary diagnosis, 16 were healthy controls, and another 36 people were added to validate the positive research findings.

All breath analyses were performed within two hours of collection using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry instrument (VOICE200 SIFT-MS, Syft Technologies; Christchurch, New Zealand). The investigators were able to correctly diagnose heart failure in all the patients who had been hospitalized with the disease. The breath test not only identified all the patients with heart failure, but also clearly distinguished them from cardiac cases without heart failure. The exhaled breath of patients with heart failure had considerably higher levels of organic compounds acetone and pentane, compared to those without heart failure.

Raed Dweik, MD, a pulmonologist and lead-investigator, in the Respiratory Institute at Cleveland Clinic, said, "While additional examination is needed to determine the true potential of breath analysis for heart failure identification in our patients, we're very encouraged by these results. The ability to identify patients with heart failure using a breath test has the potential for broad application due to its noninvasive nature and ease of application.” The authors concluded that future studies in exhaled breath metabolomics are needed to accelerate progress in the field of cardiovascular medicine. The study was published on April 2, 2013, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Related Links:
Cleveland Clinic
Syft Technologies