What Are the Precautions for Taking a Carbon-14 Breath Test?

Update Date: 2024-05-21 Source: Network

There are many factors that can lead to gastric diseases, and Helicobacter pylori is a typical one. It can cause gastric diseases such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and non-ulcerative dyspepsia. In severe cases, it can even induce gastric cancer. Therefore, after suffering from gastric diseases, it is necessary to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori in the body. The simplest method is to perform a carbon-14 breath test. So, what are the precautions for taking a carbon-14 breath test?

I. Precautions for Carbon-14 Breath Test:

1. If the subject has used drugs that inhibit HP, such as antibiotics and bismuth agents, within the past month.

2. If the subject has a history of upper gastrointestinal bleeding within the past week.

3. If the subject has not fasted and there is food in the stomach, it will be difficult for the orally administered carbon-14 urea capsule to contact the gastric mucosa.

4. Pregnant women and lactating women are advised to avoid this test.

II. Carbon-14 Breath Test Method:

1. Patient Preparation: The subject must discontinue antibiotics and bismuth agents for 30 days and proton pump inhibitors for two weeks. Fasting for at least 6 hours before the test is required.

2. Testing Process:

(1) Administer one carbon-14 urea capsule orally to the patient.

(2) After sitting quietly for 25 minutes, the subject exhales directly into the collection bottle. Exhalation should continue until the liquid in the bottle turns from pink to clear or for a duration of 3 minutes.

(3) Add 4.5ml of diluted scintillation fluid to the collection bottle, screw the cap tightly, and place it in a liquid scintillation counter for detection.

(4) The patient should remain quiet during the test. Changes in blood pH after vigorous exercise may affect the exhalation of isotope-labeled CO2. Additionally, patients should be instructed to avoid inhaling the liquid in the collection bottle.

III. Indications for Carbon-14 Breath Test:

1. Initial diagnosis of dyspepsia with clinical suspicion of Helicobacter pylori infection.

2. Patients with acute or chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

3. Prevention of gastric cancer or individuals with a family history of gastric cancer.

4. Evaluation of the efficacy and diagnosis of recurrence after Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment.

5. Long-term users of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

6. Epidemiological investigation and screening for Helicobacter pylori infection.