The Asthma Breathing Record Study
The Asthma Breathing Record Study
The study involves a new device, called 'N-Tidal C', which uses a method that has the
 potential to predict when asthma attacks are about to happen. The device works by accurately
 measuring an individual's exhaled CO2 waveform. A person has to breathe in and out through
 the mouthpiece at their normal relaxed rate of breathing. It does not need any extra effort
 and therefore has considerable benefits over current breathing tests which require
 significant patient effort.
People with more severe asthma suffer from frequent asthma attacks that require regular
 hospital admissions. These attacks are difficult to predict and can devastate the lives of
 patients. A new tool is needed that can help to predict when an asthma attack is going to
 happen. This would help people recognise an attack earlier and allow treatment to be started
 sooner. This study will evaluate a new breathing monitor, to see whether it can detect asthma
 attacks. The study tests a new device, called 'N-Tidal C', which uses a method that has the
 potential to predict when attacks are about to happen. The investigators have found that
 people with asthma breathe out a gas, called carbon dioxide (CO2), in a different way to
 healthy people. The pattern of breathing out CO2 (the waveform) changes further when patients
 are having an attack of their disease. If patients could monitor their CO2, they may
 recognise when their asthma is getting worse, and take earlier action to avoid attacks
 getting out of hand and going to hospital.
Inclusion Criteria:

 1. Male or Female, aged ≥7 years.

 2. Confirmed clinician diagnosis of asthma by examination of medical records, and based
 on accepted national and/or international criteria e.g. BTS/SIGN, or GINA.

 3. Moderate or Severe asthma (defined as BTS stage 2-5)

 4. Poorly controlled asthma (defined as an ACQ score of ≥1)

 5. Exacerbation prone asthma (defined as at least 1 asthma exacerbation requiring oral
 corticosteroid treatment in the last 12 months).

 6. Providing written informed consent, or parental/guardian consent and participant
 assent in the case of a child

 Exclusion Criteria:

 1. Inability to understand or comply with study procedures and/or inability to give fully
 informed consent.

 2. Known other lung, chest wall, neuromuscular, cardiac or other comorbidity or
 abnormality that would affect spirometry and/or other measures of lung function or
 TBCO2 measurements (including Breathing Pattern Disorder or Chronic Obstructive
 Pulmonary Disease).

 3. Smokers (current or ex-smokers) with a >10 pack year history.

 4. In the opinion of the clinical investigator, the participant would have difficulty
 completing the study procedures consistently (for example, difficulty holding the
 device, or long periods of absence/travel) throughout the study period.