Continuous Exhaled Breath Condensate pH in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Given the possible prognostic relationship between exhaled breath condensate pH and clinical symptoms, it is quite plausible that exhaled breath condensate pH can prove useful in the intensive care unit. For example, if exhaled breath condensate pH falls prior to the onset of clinical symptoms, it is likely that it can be useful as an early marker, heralding the onset of various inflammatory lung diseases. Specifically, exhaled breath condensate pH could be used as a safe, non-invasive screening tool for Ventilator Associated Pneumonia. Similarly, just as changes in exhaled breath condensate pH might predict the onset of disease, exhaled breath condensate pH changes might also mark the progression or resolution of disease (e.g. alerting clinicians to possible readiness for extubation). Although such notions are hypothetical, they are beginning to be supported by anecdotal evidence.