TURBO is the acronym for “Transportable Unit for Research of Biomarkers Obtained” (see also DECCS), and the number that follows indicates the model and the year in which it has been introduced on the market.
It’s a self contained thermoelectric cooling device (Peltier concept ), its function in the System is for cooling the test-tube used for the collection of Exhaled Breath Condensate samples (EBC); it doesn’t need any external cooling source (like a refrigerator / freezer) merely access to an external power connection to operate.
It’s a thermoelectric instrument, compact, light, noiseless and portable in its durable shock-resistant suite case, with long lasting reliability: since it doesn’t use gas for cooling, it’s also eco-friendly.
Simple and easy to operate wherever there is a power plug, even outside specialized laboratories (e.g. at home or in a factory), without any limitation of time and functionality it doesn’t require specialized staff for its use or operation.
The sampling temperature is showed on a digital thermostat display with a default setting at – 5.5°C (23° F) , but it can be easily adjusted by the operator between 0 and -10.5°C (32° and 13° F). In the collection process the regulation and the control of the temperature have a particular relevance (Caglieri et al. 2005).
The series or parallel connection between two TURBO enables the user to collect two samples of the same Exhaled Air at two different temperature, obtaining optimum results on non-volatile or low volatile substances.
It can be connected to patients who are using an mechanical ventilator (no matter the brand or the model of the ventilator in use): the EBC ollected might be used both for examining conditions inside the lung itself or for monitoring the condition of patients under an existing intensive treatment, using medication, during and after its use, with the aim of verifying the efficacy of the applied therapies.