Diagnosis and treatment methods for entry of gastrointestinal contents into respiratory tract
AssigneesThe Regents of the University of California, Aradigm Corporation
InventorsIgor Gonda, Homer A. Boushey
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Abstract
A method of diagnosing in a subject for the purpose of determining if the subject's gastrointestinal contents has entered the subject's respiratory tract. The qualitative analysis can be also expanded into quantitative analysis, enabling the estimation of either the concentration, or the amount, or both, of the gastrointestinal contents that entered the respiratory tract. The invention also provides methods of treatment based on the identification of aspiration using the methods of the invention.
Claims20
A method of determining the amount and concentration of gastric fluid in the respiratory fluid of a subject, comprising:
- orally administering to a subject a formulation comprising:
- a) a plurality of particles, wherein the particles comprise a biocompatible material that is not destroyed in the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts and a detectable label;
- and
- b) an agent that is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract of a subject but is absorbed from the respiratory tract of the subject;
- allowing the formulation to remain in the subject over a period of time during which the subject would be expected to aspirate the formulation from the gastrointestinal tract into the respiratory tract;
- accessing respiratory fluid from the subject;
- analyzing the respiratory fluid to determine the concentration of the detectable label in the respiratory fluid;
- accessing a body fluid selected from urine, blood or a blood product;
- and
- analyzing the body fluid to determine if the fluid contains a level of the agent indicative of the amount of aspiration of gastrointestinal contents into the respiratory tract.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.