Infrared Hollow Optical Fiber Probe for Localized Carbon Dioxide Measurement in Respiratory Tracts

A real-time gas monitoring system based on optical absorption spectroscopy is proposed for localized carbon dioxide (CO(2)) measurement in respiratory tracts. In this system, a small gas cell is attached to the end of a hollow optical fiber that delivers mid-infrared light with small transmission loss. The diameters of the fiber and the gas cell are smaller than 1.2 mm so that the probe can be inserted into a working channel of common bronchoscopes. The dimensions of the gas cell are designed based on absorption spectra of CO(2) standard gases in the 4.2 μm wavelength region, which are measured using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. A miniature gas cell that is comprised of a stainless-steel tube with slots for gas inlet and a micro-mirror is fabricated. A compact probing system with a quantum cascade laser (QCL) light source is built using a gas cell with a hollow optical fiber for monitoring CO(2) concentration. Experimental results using human breaths show the feasibility of the system for in-situ measurement of localized CO(2) concentration in human airways.