Acetone in Breath

From the discussions above, it is clear that there is much uncertainty in the relationship between the concentrations of isoprene found in exhaled breath and factors such as age and cholesterol. Further investigations are required in order to resolve these issues. 

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Another investigation examined the presence of acetone in breath using a membrane extraction module, a sorbent trap, and a GC with dual detectors a flame ionization detector and a mobility spectrometer. The last quarter liter portion of the stream of exhaled breath, which better reflects the content of volatile compounds in the lung tissue, was analyzed. The membrane removed much of the respired moisture, blocking interference with the analyses. ... 

Rapid Determination of Acetone in Breath and Plasma Clin. Chim. Acta 35(1) 137-143 (1971) CA 76 22624c... 

Yes she could smell acetone in the patient s breath indicating ketoacidosis, a sign of diabetes not under control. 

Most patients with DKA appear ill and weak. They are usually hypotensive and have poor skin turgor, indicating severe dehydration. If the patient is able to give a history, symptoms of polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss are invariably present. The breath may have a classic fruity odor due to the excretion of acetone in expired breath. Acetone arises from the spontaneous, nonenzymatic decarboxylation of acetoacetate ... 

One symptom of untreated diabetes is the characteristic fruity smell of acetone in the patient s breath. Because diabetics cannot use carbohydrates properly, the body goes into a state called ketosis, in which it produces acetone and other ketones. 

Use and exposure Acetone is a manufactured chemical that is also found naturally in the environment. It is a colorless liquid with a distinct smell and taste. It evaporates easily, is flammable, and dissolves in water. Acetone is used to make plastic, fibers, drugs, and other chemicals. It is also used to dissolve other substances. It occurs naturally in plants, trees, volcanic gases, and forest fires, and as a product of the breakdown of body fat. It is present in vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and landfill sites. Industrial processes contribute more acetone to the environment than natural processes do. People are exposed to acetone in a variety of ways—for instance, through contaminated air in the workplace, with the use of household materials like nail polish and paints, contaminated food, and repeated breathing of secondhand smoke. ... 

Acetone is an industrial solvent and a starting material in the synthesis of some organic polymers. Acetone is produced in vivo during the breakdown of fatty acids. In diabetes, a common endocrine disease in which normal metabolic processes are altered because of the inadequate secretion of insulin, individuals often have unusually high levels of acetone in their bloodstreams. The characteristic odor of acetone can be detected on the breath of diabetic patients when their disease is poorly controlled. 

The oxide-semiconductor-based ethanol sensor is being used to screen intoxicated drivers. In the test condition on the road, the ambient concentrations of CO and N02 can be up to 100 and lOppm due to the emissions from gasoline and diesel engines, respectively.61 The results shown in Fig. 12.6 suggest that the present sensors may be applied for selective detection of ethanol. Acetone is a very rare component in an ordinary ambient atmosphere. However, the expiration of a diabetes patient can contain acetone.62 Acetone concentration in breath air can reach up to 300 ppm in the case of an aceto-acidotic coma related to diabetes mellitus.63,64 This might interfere the ethanol sensor. A high selectivity to ethanol is required for such applications. The SZ sensor at 300°C and the ZW sensor at 400°C can satisfy these requirements. On the contrary, to examine the health condition of a diabetes patient, selective detection of acetone without the interference with alcohol is desirable. In this case, the W sensor at 400°C will be of advantageous. 

Diskin A.M., P. Spanel and D. Smith Time variation of ammonia, acetone, isoprene and ethanol in breath a quantitative SIFT-MS study over 30 days. Physiol. Meas. 24 (2003) I07-II9. 

Further examples of acoustic sensors modified with zeolites include a QCM sensor with silver-exchanged ZSM-5 that responds selectively to acetone (in diabetic s breath) in the ppm-range,ll 16] principal component analysis of multiple QCM-sensor responses (with LTA, MFI, SOD) for the detection of NO/SO2 mixtures,[117] MFI-zeolite-coated microcantilevers with ppm-sensitivity for Freon detection [118,119] and other zeolite-coated cantilevers for humidity sensing.[120]... 

In healthy adults the mean concentration of acetone in the breath is 1.1 0.5 jug/liter (Stewart and Boettner, 1964). Witha 10-mor40-mgascell such concentrations are not detectable. The acetone content of diabetic breath may range from 0.1 /ig/Iiter to more than 2000 /ig/Iiter. Before the onset of significant ketonemia, the acetone content in the diabetic s breath rises to amounts detectable by infrared spectroscopy and therefore analysis of the breath gives a rapid method for determining the degree of ketosis. 

So far PTR-MS has been successful in measuring the concentration of selected VOCs in exhaled breath. Examples include several main compounds in breath, tentatively identified as acetaldehyde (m/z 45), ethanol (tn/z 47), isoprene (m/z 69), acetone (m/z 59), and methanol (m/z 33). In addition, other compounds such as acetonitrile (m/z 42) and benzene (m/z 79) were found related to smoking behavior [32]. 

A buildup of acetone in the blood. This condition occurs only when there is an impairment in breathing. Under normal circumstances most acetone is removed from the E)ody via the breath. 

Shifting the metabolic machinery of the body to excessive utilization of fats instead of carbohydrates or a balance of fats and carbohydrates results In the buildup of ketone bodies— acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone—in the blood and their appearance in the urine. This condition is referred to as ketosis, and outwardly noted by the sweetish, acetone odor of the breath. Three circumstances can cause ketosis (1) high dietary intake of fat but low carbohydrate intake as in ketogenic diets (2) diminished carbohydrate breakdown and high mobilization of fats as in starvation or (3) disorders in carbohydrate metabolism as in diabetes melli-tus. Unless ketosis goes unchecked and results in acidosis, it is a normal metabolic adjustment. 

The MS-Nose consists of an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization gas phase analyzer (APCI-GPA) attached to a VG Quattro II MS mass spectrometer [5] the cone voltage was 20 V. The ions monitored (MH+, M H2O + H+) were 58 (acetone in the panelists breath), 71 (amyl acetate fragment), 83 (cit-3-hexenol), 117 (ethyl butyrate), 131 (amyl acetate), 137 (linalool), and 163 (methyl cinnamate). 

Figure 7.4 Concentrations of acetone in the breath and blood for an individual volunteer plotted as a function of time. The lines drawn connecting the data points are visual guides only. Error bars represent a conservative experimental error of 10%. Note the much larger variability in the blood concentration measurements, which is not associated with any experimental uncertainties, compared to the breath acetone concentrations. Reproduced from [41] with permission from Elsevier.

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