Accelerated closed-circuit wash-in of tracer gas using bolus injection in lung function testing

1 . A method for obtaining fast equilibrium of at least one inert tracer gas in the lungs of a test subject prior to the measurement of respired gases for determination of pulmonary and/or cardiovascular parameters of the test subject, wherein said method is a rebreathing method using a system comprising a rebreathing valve assembly and a closed bag system comprising a rebreathing port, a rebreathing bag and optionally a carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubber, wherein said closed bag system is filled with a volume of an initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas prior to a rebreathing period, said method comprising the steps of:

inhalation of a bolus gas mixture, the bolus gas mixture comprising all or most of the inert tracer gas comprised in the closed bag system thereby delivering all or most inert tracer gas in a first part of the first inspiration of the rebreathing period,

continued inhalation of a last part of the first inspiration of the rebreathing period of a part of the volume of the initial gas mixture containing none or a lower concentration of the inert tracer gas than that in the bolus gas mixture,

subsequent exhalation by the test subject whereby said closed bag system is comprising an alternated gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas in a lower concentration than that in the initial gas mixture, and

rebreathing of the alternated gas mixture to wash-in the inert tracer gas until a constant concentration of the inert tracer gas in the lungs of the test subject is reached.

2 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas constitutes from about 5 to 50%, such as from 10 to 40%, such as from 10 to 20% or around 10% of the volume of the closed bag system.

3 . A method according to claim 1 where the closed bag system is filled with the initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas by a sequential gas filling procedure prior to the rebreathing period, where the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas is filled into the rebreathing bag during a last part of the sequential gas filling procedure thereby concentrating the inert tracer gas near the opening or neck of the rebreathing bag.

4 . A method according to claim 1 where a CO2 scrubber is added between the rebreathing port and the rebreathing bag, and where the closed bag system is filled with the initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas by a sequential gas filling procedure prior to the rebreathing period, where the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas is entered into the closed bag system via the CO2 scrubber during a last part of the sequential gas filling procedure thereby concentrating the inert tracer gas in the dead space of the CO2 scrubber and near the opening or neck of the rebreathing bag.

5 . A method according to claim 1 where the closed bag system is filled with the initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas by a sequential gas filling procedure prior to the rebreathing period and wherein a first part of the sequential gas filling procedure is used for dispensing a mixture comprising a zero fraction of the total tracer gas volume into the rebreathing bag followed by filling the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas during a last part of the sequential gas filling procedure.

6 . A method according to claim 1 where the closed bag system is filled with the initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas by a sequential gas filling procedure prior to the rebreathing period and wherein a first part of the sequential gas filling procedure is used for dispensing a mixture comprising a non-zero fraction of the total tracer gas volume into the rebreathing bag followed by filling the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas during a last part of the sequential gas filling procedure.

7 . A method according to claim 1 wherein all or part of the bolus gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas is injected directly into the closed bag system at the bag port or closer to the test subject's mouth during a first part of the first inspiration of the rebreathing period.

8 . A method according to claim 1 wherein the inert tracer gas is SF6.

9 . A method according to claim 1 where the bolus gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas is an oxygen enriched gas mixture.

10 . A method according to claim 1 where the closed bag system is filled with a volume of the initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas corresponding to the test subject's tidal volume or up to 150% thereof.

11 . A method according to claim 1 where gas analysis is performed by a sensitive gas analyser e.g. based on photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS).

12 . A method for multiple-breath washout measurements to determine the lung clearance index (LCI) or other indices of ventilation inhomogeneity of the lungs or for pulmonary blood flow and lung volume determination by inert gas rebreathing, comprising the steps of:

inhalation of a bolus gas mixture, the bolus gas mixture comprising all or most of the inert tracer gas comprised in the closed bag system thereby delivering all or most inert tracer gas in a first part of the first inspiration of the rebreathing period,

continued inhalation of a last part of the first inspiration of the rebreathing period of a part of the volume of the initial gas mixture containing none or a lower concentration of the inert tracer gas than that in the bolus gas mixture,

subsequent exhalation by the test subject whereby said closed bag system is comprising an alternated gas mixture comprising said inert tracer gas in a lower concentration than that in the initial gas mixture, and

rebreathing of the alternated gas mixture to wash-in the inert tracer gas until a constant concentration of the inert tracer gas in the lungs of the test subject is reached.

13 . A system adapted to obtain fast equilibrium of at least one inert tracer gas in the lungs of a test subject prior to the measurement of respired gases for determination of pulmonary and/or cardiovascular parameters of the test subject by a multiple-breath washout or an inert gas rebreathing method, said system comprising:

a rebreathing valve assembly and a closed bag system comprising a rebreathing port, a rebreathing bag for the test subject to rebreathe to and from during a rebreathing period and optionally a CO2 scrubber, wherein said closed bag system is filled with a volume of an initial gas mixture comprising said at least one inert tracer gas prior to the rebreathing period,

a holder for upside-down suspension of the rebreathing bag,

a gas control unit capable of sequentially delivering at least two gas mixtures through a gas line, preferably one bolus gas mixture comprising all or most of the inert tracer gas comprised in the closed bag system from a gas reservoir and ambient air as the rest of the volume of the initial gas mixture,

at least one gas analyser for obtaining the fractional concentration of said inert tracer gas inhaled and exhaled by said test subject,

a flowmeter for monitoring the gas flow inhaled and exhaled by said test subject, and

processing means for determining LCI or other indices of ventilation inhomogeneity of the lungs or for pulmonary blood flow and lung volume determination.

14 . A system according to claim 13 where the inert tracer gas is SF6.

15 . A system according to claim 13 where the gas analysis is performed by a sensitive gas analyser e.g. based on photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS).