Online Detection of HCN in Humid Exhaled Air by Gas Flow-Assisted Negative Photoionization Mass Spectrometry

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a well-known toxic compound in many fields. The trace amount of endogenous HCN in human exhalation has been associated with the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Online monitoring of HCN profile is promising to screen PA infection rapidly and accurately. In this study, a gas flow assisted negative photoionization (NPI) mass spectrometry method was developed for monitoring the single-exhalation HCN profile. The sensitivity could be optimized by introducing helium to eliminate the humidity influence and reduce the low mass cutoff effect, with improvements of a factor 150 observed. By employing a purging gas procedure and minimizing the length of the sample line, the residual and response time were greatly reduced. The limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 ppbv and time resolution of 0.5 s were achieved. HCN profiles of exhalations from different volunteers before or after gargling with water were detected to show the performance of the method. All profiles showed a sharp peak and a stable end-tidal plateau, representing the concentration of oral cavity and end-tidal gas, respectively. The HCN concentration based on the plateau of the profile showed better reproducibility and accuracy, which indicates this method has potential application in the detection of PA infection in CF patients.

Automated summary

A gas flow assisted negative photoionization mass spectrometry method was developed for monitoring the single-exhalation hydrogen cyanide (HCN) profile. By introducing helium to eliminate humidity influence and reducing low mass cutoff effect, the sensitivity of the method was significantly improved. The method achieved a limit of detection of 0.3 ppbv and time resolution of 0.5 s, showing potential application in detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients.