Methods of testing digestive functions using both a breath test and a scintigraphy test, and methods of using a breath test as an overall digestive health assessment
AssigneeAdvanced Breath Diagnostics, LLC
InventorsKerry C. Bush, Robert F. Martin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for assessing an overall digestive health of a patient are provided, which include administering a breath test that uses a label incorporated into proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids and further incorporating the labeled material into a meal which, when cooked, facilitates the binding of the label material to the solid phase matrix of the meal. Methods for assessing digestive functions of a patient are also provided, which includes concurrently administering a breath test and a scintigraphy test that measure gastric emptying in a stomach.
Claims24
A method of assessing digestive functions of a patient, wherein the digestive functions include digestive functions that occur post-stomach, the method comprising:
- concurrently administering a breath test and a scintigraphy test that measure gastric emptying in a stomach, wherein the breath test and the scintigraphy test have a diagnostic concordance to one another, wherein the breath test uses a label incorporated into proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids;
- obtaining a breath test result, the breath test result being either normal or abnormal;
- obtaining a scintigraphy test result, the scintigraphy test result being either normal or abnormal;
- and
- classifying the patient's digestive functions as normal, stomach abnormal, or post-stomach abnormal, wherein said normal classification is used when both the breath test result and the scintigraphy test result are normal, wherein said stomach abnormal classification is used when both the breath test result and the scintigraphy test result are abnormal, and wherein said post-stomach abnormal classification is used when the breath test result is abnormal and the scintigraphy test result is normal.
A method of assessing digestive functions of a patient, wherein the digestive functions include digestive functions that occur post-stomach, the method comprising:
- administering a dual-label meal to a patient, the dual-label meal including a breath test label and a scintigraphic label, wherein the breath test label is incorporated into proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids;
- collecting a breath test sample and a scintigraphic scan at periodic time points;
- obtaining a scintigraphic test result and a breath test result for each of said periodic time points;
- providing an overall scintigraphic test result by evaluating the scintigraphic test result at each of said periodic time points;
- providing an overall breath test result by evaluating the breath test result at each of said periodic time points;
- and
- classifying the patient's digestive functions as normal, stomach abnormal, or post-stomach abnormal, wherein said normal classification is used when both the overall breath test result and the overall scintigraphy test result are normal, wherein said stomach abnormal classification is used when both the overall breath test result and the overall scintigraphy test result are abnormal, and wherein said post-stomach abnormal classification is used when the overall breath test result is abnormal and the overall scintigraphy test result is normal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.