Contents

Search

gastric emptying breath test (GEBT)

Indications: - evaluation of gastroparesis Contraindications: - hypersensitivity to spirulina, egg, milk or wheat allergens Procedure: - measures carbon dioxide in a patient's breath - after an overnight fast, the patient eats a special test meal that includes a scrambled-egg mix & the protein spirulina platensis, which has been enriched with carbon-13 - at multiple points in a 4-hour period after the test meal, GEBT calculates the rate of stomach evacuation by measuring the ratio of carbon-13 to carbon-12 in breath samples - this is compared with a baseline ratio calculated before the meal Notes: - low cost [2]

General

breath test point of care test

References

  1. Lowes R FDA Approves Gastroparesis Test for Any Clinical Setting Medscape Medical News. April 6, 2015 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/842724
  2. Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 18, American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2018