Objective: Collecting exhaled particles that represent small droplets of the alveolar lining fluid shows great promise as a tool for pulmonary surfactant (PS) sampling. For this purpose, we present a setup consisting of two modules, namely, a module for droplet collecting, called an electrostatic aerosol trapping (ESAT) system, and a measurement module for studying PS properties. We suggest the way how to extract numerical values from the experimental data associated with PS properties. Methods: The operating principle of ESAT is based on the electrostatic precipitation of exhaled particles. The native material was collected directly on the water surface, where an accumulated adsorbed film of PS was examined with tensiometric method. The modified capillary waves method adapted to study small volume samples was utilized. The efficiency of the setup was verified in the experiments with healthy subjects. Conclusion: The accumulation of PS components on the water surface in an amount sufficient for tensiometric study was reported. It was shown how to extract the numerical values from the experimental data characterizing PS properties. Significance: The idea underlying the new concept used in this study may give impetus to further development of point-of-care facilities for collecting PS samples and for their express analysis.

中文翻译：

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用于肺表面活性物质张力测定的呼出颗粒的静电沉淀

目的：收集代表肺泡内衬液小液滴的呼出颗粒显示出作为肺表面活性物质 (PS) 采样工具的巨大希望。为此，我们提出了一个由两个模块组成的设置，即一个用于液滴收集的模块，称为静电气溶胶捕获 (ESAT) 系统，以及一个用于研究 PS 特性的测量模块。我们建议如何从与 PS 属性相关的实验数据中提取数值。方法：ESAT 的工作原理基于呼出颗粒的静电沉淀。天然材料直接收集在水面上，在那里用张力测定法检查聚积的 PS 吸附膜。改进的毛细管波方法适用于研究小体积样品。在健康受试者的实验中验证了设置的效率。结论：据报道，PS 成分在水面上的积累量足以进行张力测量研究。展示了如何从表征 PS 特性的实验数据中提取数值。意义：本研究中使用的新概念背后的想法可能会推动进一步开发用于收集 PS 样本并进行快速分析的床旁设施。