A standard procedure for measuring conductivity of sweat as a diagnostic test for cystic fibrosis

Abstract

I N A recent repor t on the measurement of sweat conduct ivi ty as a diagnostic test for cystic fibrosis, we employed home-made equ ipment designed by Phillips. z, 2 Since this assembly is not readily avai lable we thought tha t the use of a s tandard, inexpensive, commercia l ly avai lable conduct ivi ty meter , designed specifically for our purpose, and a microconduct iv i ty cell of known characteristics would be useful? This repor t describes our experience with this conduct ivi ty meter (Solu Meter ) and microcell . The sweat sample needed is approx imate ly 20 l a m b d a (0.020 ml . ) . A reading can be made in a few seconds. The Solu Meter , like other resistance and conductance measur ing devices, gives a reading relat ive to a specific conduct ivi ty cell and a t empera tu re sensitive cal ibra t ion curve.