Respiration measurements and dosimetry control in inhalation testing systems

Abstract

Inhalation measurement systems and methods enable, during inhalant exposure, substantially real-time respiratory measurements of a test subject using techniques that obtain measurements of respiration directly from that test subject, instead of from inhalation chamber parameter measurements. Direct test subject respiratory measurements may be, by way of example only, impedance measurements. These respiratory measurements taken directly from the test subject may be transmitted, wirelessly for example, for processing during the course of the test to a processing system to determine a cumulative volume of inhalant inspired by the test subject. From that, a cumulative amount of inhalant (or dose) inspired by the test subject may be determined during the course of the inhalation compound test. In addition, a calibration procedure may be performed before the inhalant exposure to provide correlation needed to translate chest and/or abdominal wall expansion measurements, made during the test, into lung volume measurements.