Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:1PM GMT
German scientists have developed a revolutionary electronic nose technology which can identify patients with heart failure without any invasive procedure.
The electronic nose system consists of an array of three thick-film metal oxide based gas sensors with heater elements. Each sensor has a slightly different sensitivity to various odorant molecular types.
During a clinical trial, the new technology managed to differentiate between participants without heart failure or the control group and those with heart failure with 89 percent sensitivity and 84 percent specificity.
The test could also distinguish between patients with decompensated heart failure and compensated heart failure with 89 percent sensitivity and 88 percent specificity.
Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling and potentially deadly condition. In developed countries, around 2 percent of adults suffer from heart failure, but in those over the age of 65, this increases to 6-10 percent.
Heart failure is associated with significantly reduced physical and mental health, which results in a markedly decreased quality of life. Although some people survive many years, the progressive disease is associated with an overall increased mortality and morbidity.
The early detection of chronic heart failure (CHF) through periodical screening facilitates early treatment application said Vasileios Kechagias from the University Hospital Jena.
Our primary objective is to create and establish a minimal invasive method, which will help to rapidly screen, diagnose, group and monitor the CHF, he added.
The project and its results were presented at the European society of cardiology (ESC) Congress on August 23, 2011.
German scientists have developed a revolutionary electronic nose technology which can identify patients with heart failure without any invasive procedure.
The electronic nose system consists of an array of three thick-film metal oxide based gas sensors with heater elements. Each sensor has a slightly different sensitivity to various odorant molecular types.
During a clinical trial, the new technology managed to differentiate between participants without heart failure or the control group and those with heart failure with 89 percent sensitivity and 84 percent specificity.
The test could also distinguish between patients with decompensated heart failure and compensated heart failure with 89 percent sensitivity and 88 percent specificity.
Heart failure is a common, costly, disabling and potentially deadly condition. In developed countries, around 2 percent of adults suffer from heart failure, but in those over the age of 65, this increases to 6-10 percent.
Heart failure is associated with significantly reduced physical and mental health, which results in a markedly decreased quality of life. Although some people survive many years, the progressive disease is associated with an overall increased mortality and morbidity.
The early detection of chronic heart failure (CHF) through periodical screening facilitates early treatment application said Vasileios Kechagias from the University Hospital Jena.
Our primary objective is to create and establish a minimal invasive method, which will help to rapidly screen, diagnose, group and monitor the CHF, he added.
The project and its results were presented at the European society of cardiology (ESC) Congress on August 23, 2011.
