Optimised Breath Condensate Collection Device

The RTube breath condensate collection device is designed for effortless operation, accommodating unsupervised use by patients. This non-invasive, hand-held unit is self-contained and designed for single use. When the user breathes naturally into the device, the RTube captures breath condensate in a cartridge that is portable and suitable for mailing. Its innovative design ensures the RTube can be utilised in ongoing research, enabling the collection of Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC) data from people across environments such as clinics, hospitals, homes, and schools.

The device also features: 

Cooling Sleeve – Necessary for efficient condensate collection and designed to slide over the RTube and create the perfect environment for condensate collection.

Standard Plunger – Made of solid aluminium, this is a stand alone device that is necessary to utilise the syringe style plunging built into the RTube. The one way valve easily slides along the polypropylene walls and pools the sample near the top of the tube for easy removal.

How it Works

The RTube is a non-rebreathing device and utilises two one-way valves to maintain unidirectional flow throughout the entire breathing cycle as the subject inhales and exhales through the mouthpiece. As the subject breathes normally through the device, saliva is separated from the main exhalate stream in the blue ‘T’ section of the mouthpiece and directed downward with the assistance of gravity into the saliva drain. From here the saliva exits the device through the one-way disc valve at the bottom of the ‘T’ section. The exhaled breath stream turns upward and passes through a one-way duckbill valve into the gray condensation tube. 

Turbulence is created by the nozzle as the air jet spreads out into the cylindrical condensation chamber. The asymmetric placement of the air jet within the condensation chamber directs proportionally heavier flow to hit the cylindrical surfaces parallel to the plane of the diagram below. The imbalance of flow and pressure redirects the jet to form vortexes which periodically mix. This ensures maximum impaction of suspended particles with the tube wall and greatly enhances the heat transfer from the exhalate to the tube.