Envin OralChroma used in GOSH study
Envin Scientific recently supplied an OralChroma Halitosis Measuring Device for use in an important study carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).
How was the GOSH study conducted?
The research was led by senior author Dr Andy Petros with Dr Natalie Bee and staff nurse Ruth White at GOSH’s Intensive Care Units, and presented to the 8th World Congress on Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care. It looked for the presence of hydrogen sulphide in air expired by children and newborns with sepsis, compared with the exhaled breath of a corresponding control group.
The presentation of the study explained: “Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a colourless, water-soluble, flammable gas with the characteristic odour of rotten eggs. “Despite evidence that H2S is a potent vasodilator, its role in inflammation has not, as yet, been adequately addressed.” The researchers hypothesised that if H2S increases in the blood due to pathological conditions, it may diffuse into alveolar gas and in turn find its way into the gas expired by the patient. This could lead to methods of analysing the patient’s breath for H2S as a marker of those pathological conditions, or as a way of predicting the clinical outcome of treatment.
Envin’s contribution
An Envin Scientific OralChroma Halitosis Measuring Device was used to look for the presence of H2S in participants’ breath, including a control group, at a sensitivity of parts per billion; the background air of the room was also measured. The researchers confirmed that H2S is measurable in expired lung gases, and in higher quantities among septic patients than in the control group.
However, their study did not confirm the timing of this increase in H2S concentration in response to the patient’s physical condition, or how the knowledge might translate into clinical practice. As such, the research is continuing towards clarifying these outstanding areas and putting in place new clinical practices using the knowledge.
Take a look at another study benefited by the Envin Scientific Oralchroma Device, on patients suffering from tonsillitis.
