The device known as “Gastro Check” is a new inhalation device. The device was invented in order to identify the source of unexplained abdominal pain.
The “Gastro Check” is an advanced breath device that detects conditions of intolerance to sugars in addition to conditions of bacterial overgrowth through a simple breath test.
The device checks conditions of intolerance to sugars (lactose, fructose and sucrose) and additionally conditions of bacterial overgrowth – SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). The device does this by detecting the gases in the respiratory tract and detects additional gases to those detected by the old devices.
how does it work
The test procedure is simple: several breaths into the device with intervals of several minutes between breaths. The results of the tests are given the same day with instructions for further treatment and guidance by a professional gastro dietitian.
The test is non-invasive and very simple to perform. The test is intended for anyone over the age of 7, who walks around with abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, gas, vomiting and diarrhea for which no cause has been found.
Dr. Shadi Ertol, director of the children’s gastro unit at the North Medical Center and the center of the field of “breath tests” at the medical center explains: “The new device we purchased will allow us to help a large group of patients who suffer from chronic problems in the digestive system, which include pain and severe impairment of quality of life, and so far they were unable to find a solution or explanation for their complaints.”
“The new device checks the concentration of the gases hydrogen and methane in the exhaled air, and according to the test results it is possible to know if the patient suffers from an intolerance to sugar or to the tested food.” Dr. Ertol continues to explain.
Dr. Ertol continues to elaborate on the differences between the old devices and “Gastro Check”: “Until recently, the old devices tested only hydrogen gas, the introduction of the new device, which has not yet reached all hospitals, allows detecting methane in addition to hydrogen gas and thus diagnose more patients than before.”
At the North Medical Center, they explain that the test is simple and that patients will receive a clear instruction sheet when making an appointment at the appointment center. During the test, the patient will drink a specific substance, depending on the type of test, and later will be required to blow into the gastro-cheek device at fixed intervals, between fifteen minutes and half an hour.
“It is important for us to inform all the doctors of the community in the North about the availability of the device at the North Medical Center,” emphasizes Dr. Ertol and continues: “This is so that they know that patients can be sent to us with a referral and here they will receive the latest test and results on the same day.”
Patients who wish to make an appointment are invited to contact the North Medical Center’s appointment call center after receiving a referral from the HMO.
