Inventors:
Hendrik J. Vreman - Los Altos CA
David K. Stevenson - Palo Alto CA
Assignee:
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University - Palo Alto CA
International Classification:
A61B 508
Abstract:
Apparatus for use in a hospital nursery, clinic, or physician's office for the sampling and analysis of neonatal end-tidal breath for carbon monoxide as an indication of hemolysis and subsequent infant jaundice includes a syringe and plunger for collecting end-tidal breath, a pump for supporting the syringe and including drive means for incrementally withdrawing the plunger and collecting end tidal breath, and a controller for the pump including a thermistor positionable to respond to the temperature of exhaled breath and generating an electrical signal in response to thermistor temperature. A rate detector receives the signal and determines exhalation rate. The signal is delayed in response to exhalation rate and then utilized to energize the pump in incrementally withdrawing the plunger in collecting end tidal breath. The pump can also be used in analysis equipment which extracts the end tidal breath sample with a sensor receiving the sample and determining carbon monoxide content. Alternatively, separate pumps can be employed for the sample collection and for the sample analysis.