Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings National

A Different Breathalyzer Test for Heart Failure: A New Way to Examine Cardiac Health

Simply blowing up a balloon may help doctors test heart function, according to a new study from the Cleveland Clinic. Although such examinations usually require expensive and sometimes invasive procedures, the new test can be done in a doctor’s office in 30 seconds, according to the research findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The patient simply breathes into a Mylar balloon, similar to a party version, and the air is passed through a machine to produce an individual “breathprint”. Researchers determined that exhaled breath contains volatile organic compounds that can be easily analyzed to determine potential heart failure.

Join Our Community Newsletter