Validation of a Hand-Held Point-of-Care Device to Measure Breath Hydrogen and Its Utility in Detecting Response to Antibiotic Treatment

Overview

Journal Dig Dis Sci

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 2024 Aug 10

PMID 39127844

Authors

Guillermo Barahona

Barry Mc Bride

Aine Moran

Ricky Harrison

Luisa Villatoro

Robert Burns

Bo Konings

Robert Bulat

Megan McKnight

Glenn Treisman

Pankaj J Pasricha

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Breath testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is typically performed using clinic-based equipment or single-use test kits.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the utility of a portable, point-of-care breath analysis device (AIRE®, FoodMarble) in patients suspected to have SIBO. A technical assessment including a comparison to existing mail-in kits was first performed. Then, postprandial breath hydrogen levels of patients before and after antibiotic treatment were gathered and compared to levels seen in a healthy cohort.

Methods: For the comparison, 50 patients suspected of having SIBO were provided with an AIRE device and performed concurrent LHBTs at-home with a mail-in breath test kit. For the postprandial analysis, twenty-four patients with chronic GI symptoms measured their postprandial hydrogen for 7 days prior to antibiotic treatment and for 7 days after treatment. 10 healthy controls also measured their postprandial hydrogen for 7 days.

Results: Substantial agreement was demonstrated between AIRE and the mail-in kits for the performance of lactulose hydrogen breath tests (κ = 0.8). Prior to treatment, patients had significantly greater daily postprandial hydrogen than healthy controls (p < 0.001). The mean postprandial hydrogen of patients reduced significantly after treatment (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Measuring postprandial hydrogen shows potential as a means of differentiating patients with chronic GI symptoms from healthy controls and may be useful in monitoring patients before, during, and after treatment. Future studies could help determine if pre-treatment breath gas levels are predictive of response to antibiotic treatment.

Citing Articles

A Comprehensive Review of the Usefulness of Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth.

Martyniak A, Wojcicka M, Rogatko I, Piskorz T, Tomasik P Microorganisms. 2025; 13(1).

PMID: 39858825 PMC: 11768010. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13010057.

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