SBIR-STTR Award

The goal of the proposed Phase I research is to determine the feasibility of a fast dual path system for respiratory gas analysis. Applications for respiratory gas analysis in health care and physiological assessment and numerous and important, including the measurement of metabolism, lung ventilation efficiency, and patient monitoring. This research proposes development of a system that incorporates a unique method of oxygen analysis based on paramagnetism coupled with an acoustic method to determine carbon dioxide for any given level of oxygen. Essential to the proposed research is development and implementation of high speed pneumatic switching to rapidly interchange test and ambient gas in each transducer (paramagnetic and acoustic), thus providing exceptional stability. The resulting Phase I prototype will be evaluated for dynamic response, linearity, stability of baseline, and stability of scale. It is anticipated that the resulting respiratory gas analyzer will have a response time of <75 ms, and will be capable of breath-by-breath analysis. The proposed development will lead to a new generation of respiratory gas analyzers exhibiting superior performance together with significant cost savings. The estimated cost of the final O2/CO2 analyzer is between $750 - $1,000. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Respiratory gas analysis is widespread in the health care environment and physiological research. Oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers are commonly found as stand-alone analyzers or combined in metabolic measurement systems or anesthetic monitors. Thousands of respiratory gas analyzers are sold each year, and there has been little progress in the critical sensing technologies over the past few years. The commercial potential of the proposed development is significant primarily for the high level of performance coupled with significantly reduced cost.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, biosensor, clinical biomedical equipment, respiratory gas analyzer breath composition, magnetism, respiratory oxygenNational Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

The goal of this research is to develop a unique respiratory gas analyzer for both oxygen and carbon dioxide, characterized by very fast response, high stability, and significant cost savings. It incorporates new approaches to sensing O2 and CO2 not previously demonstrated in gas analysis. In Phase I, the applicant organization demonstrated proof-of- concept by building a prototype whose specifications currently exceed those of some commercially available gas analyzers costing three times as much. The technology also provides many practical advantages, e.g., the weight of the combined O2/CO2 analyzer is less than 2.5 kg, while competitive gas analyzers weight over 28 kg. Projected cost is approximately $5,000. Proposed Phase II research will improve the design, including extending the capability to pediatric and neonatal applications, and incorporate the resulting gas analyzer into a complete metabolic analysis system. Both bench testing and validation with human subjects will take place. This research will lead to a new technology useful and cost effective for patient monitoring, exercise stress testing, metabolic analysis, and monitoring of controlled atmospheres such as hyperbaric chambers. There are also industrial applications, including greenhouse monitoring, food processing, and pollution control. The applicant's organization has a successful track record in developing and commercializing SBIR technology. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Commercial applications include health-related applications such as patient monitoring, metabolic measurement, exercise stress testing, and nutritional evaluation. Other industrial applications include greenhouse monitoring, food processing, and other environmental monitoring. The resultant O2/CO2 gas analyzer will be marketed as a stand alone product and incorporated into a metabolic analysis system.

Thesaurus Terms:
basal metabolism, biomedical equipment development, biosensor, carbon dioxide, clinical biomedical equipment, oxygen breath composition, gas analyzer, magnetism, monitoring device, pediatrics, respiratory gas analyzer, respiratory oxygen bioengineering /biomedical engineering, clinical research, human subject