Methods for Processing Mass Spectrometry Signals from Exhaled Gases for Medical Diagnosis

The composition of gases exhaled by humans can be analyzed using small-scale quadrupole mass spectrometers. The analysis results can be used for diagnosis of the state of health. Mathematical processing of mass spectrometry signals allows mass spectra to be classified into healthy or sick, and also into groups of patients. Algorithms for primary data processing and classification based on multidimensional statistical methods, i.e., discriminant and cluster analysis, are described.