Characterization of Exhaled Particles from the Human Lungs in Airway Obstruction

Abstract

Airway obstruction does not change the number flux or size distribution of particles in exhaled breath. The high intersubject variability of particle emission supports the concept of online determination of aerosol properties (primarily number flux, during exhaled breath) during breath condensate sampling to properly normalize the results of biochemical analysis. As high dilution and variable dilution are the main challenges of biomarker assessment in exhaled breath condensate, this normalization procedure would significantly add to the value of the technique.