The study, led by Assist. Prof. Dr. Bilge Han Tozlu from the Hitit University Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, and featuring Assoc. Prof. Dr. Önder Aydemir and Assist. Prof. Dr. Cemaleddin Şimşek from Karadeniz Technical University as researchers, achieved a 97% success rate in diagnosing heart diseases using the developed electronic nose.
Successful results were obtained in heart disease diagnosis studies conducted with the electronic nose at the Cardiology Clinic of the Hitit University Erol Olçok Education and Research Hospital. The study was carried out by collecting breath samples from both patients and healthy individuals who applied to the Cardiology Clinic, coordinated by the Head of the Cardiology Department, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Karavelioğlu. Individuals who voluntarily participated in this study filled 10-liter disposable sterile bags with their breath using sterile mouthpieces. The breath samples in these bags were then recorded as data on a computer via the electronic nose, which contains gas sensors.
362 Breath Samples Were Taken
A total of 362 breath samples were collected from 81 participants and uploaded to the developed system. The results of the study showed that the breath of individuals who had suffered a heart attack and were hospitalized in the intensive care unit was distinguished from the breath of individuals with coronary artery disease or those with no heart ailment, with an accuracy of 97.19%. In the same study, the breath of individuals with coronary artery blockage was detected against those with no heart disease with an accuracy of 81.48%.
A patent application was filed in 2019 to convert the system into a device and make it available for use. This academic work has shown that a device capable of detecting heart ailments through breath can now be built, opening the way for the use of a new technology to aid disease diagnostic methods. Tozlu and his team stated that they would initiate a study on the detection of the coronavirus disease through breath, provided they can secure ethical approval and hospital work permits.
