A simple breath sampling method in intubated and mechanically ventilated critically ill patients

•A breath sampling method for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis was developed.•64 VOCs emendated from the ventilator and tubing of ventilated ICU-patients.•44 of these “ventilator-associated VOCs” were also observed in vivo.•VOC abundance had an inverse correlation with minute volume in vitro but not in vivo.•Breath collection with disposable materials showed to be repeatable. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath may serve as biomarkers of pulmonary infection or inflammation. We developed and validated a new breath sampling method for VOC analysis in ventilated patients. Breath was collected from the ventilatory circuit using cheap disposables. VOCs were identified by gas-chromatography and mass-spectrometry (GC–MS) at various minute volumes during ventilation of an artificial lung (in vitro) and ventilated patients (in vivo). Sixty-four VOCs emendated from the ventilator and tubing. Their concentrations had an inverse correlation with minute volume in in vitro experiments (median correlation coefficient: −0.61 [25–75th percentile: −0.66 to −0.43]). Forty-four of these “ventilator-associated VOCs” were also observed in vivo, without correlations with minute volume. In vivo experiments showed that only positive end-expiratory pressure influenced the concentration of breath VOCs. The sampling method was highly reproducible (median intra-class correlation 0.95 [25–75th percentile: 0.87–0.97]). In conclusion, a novel, simple and repeatable sampling method was developed and validated for capturing exhaled VOCs in ventilated patients, which could allow for large-scale breath analysis in clinical studies.