Respiratory tract infections are common, and when affecting the lower airways and lungs, can result in significant morbidity and mortality. There is an unfilled need for simple, non-invasive tools that can be used to screen for such infections at the clinical point of care. The electronic nose (eNose) is a novel technology that detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Early studies have shown that certain diseases and infections can result in characteristic changes in VOC profiles in the exhaled breath. This review summarizes current knowledge on breath analysis by the electronic nose and its potential for the detection of respiratory diseases with and without infection.
Keywords: electronic nose; respiratory disease; respiratory infections; volatile organic compounds.