Paul Thomas at the 2020 Breath Biopsy Conference
COVID-19 session (25 min) - A feasibility study of COVID-19 detection in participant with respiratory symptoms
The 2021 Breath Biopsy Conference is scheduled for 12th & 13th October. Click the button to express interest in the next Breath Biopsy Conference:
Talk Abstract:
In 2019 field technical exercises demonstrated single-breath sample analysis by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry in mass-casualty scenarios. The tests showed how ambulance based breath screening, and breath testing in emergency departments could test up to 37 patients an hour with a single device. At the beginning of 2020 research was pivoted to test the feasibility of screening for COVID-19 amongst patients presenting to an emergency departments with respiratory symptoms.
Independent observational prevalence studies at Edinburgh, UK, and Dortmund, Germany, recruited ninety-eight patients of whom 21/33 (63.6%) and 10/65 (15.4%) had COVID-19 in Edinburgh and Dortmund, respectively. Aldehydes (ethanal, octanal), ketones (acetone, butanone), and methanol were found to discriminate COVID-19 from other conditions, and an unidentified-feature with significant predictive power for severity/death was isolated in Edinburgh. Differentiation of patients with a definite diagnosis from non-COVID-19 was possible with 80% and 81.5% accuracy in Edinburgh and Dortmund (area-under-the-receiver- operator-characteristic [AUROC] 0.87 95% CI 0.67 to 1) and AUROC 0.91 95% CI 0.87 to 1).
The panel of the marker compounds was consistent with a multi-system COVID-19 derangement of breath-biochemistry by ketosis, gastrointestinal effects, and inflammatory processes. Development and validation of this approach may facilitate rapid point-of-need COVID-19 testing in the coming endemic flu seasons.
Speaker Biography:
C. L. Paul Thomas is Professor of Analytical Science Chemistry Loughborough university with a general interest in the determination of volatile organic compounds and a particular interest in volatile breath biochemistry. Working with partners Paul’s team have sought to support standardisation in breath analysis methods.
As well as clinical studies with respiratory and oncology teams Paul has been looking at breath and volatile organic compound applications in emergency medicine and austere settings. The resultant multi-disciplinary studies have integrated ion mobility techniques into remote piloted airborne systems, skin analysis for contamination screening, and rapid breath testing for mass casualty applications.
Paul seeks to foster the work of the International Association of Breath Research and the international Society for Ion Mobility Spectrometry.
The 2021 Breath Biopsy Conference is scheduled for 12th & 13th October. Click the button to express interest in the next Breath Biopsy Conference: