Breath test for H. pylori - how long?

SparkySpitfire

Hiya,

Bit of a first world problem/concern here. I've got one of these tests at 10am in a Dublin hospital but I'm supposed to be in Sligo by the late afternoon/early evening. Before I book accomodation I just want to make sure I won't be on the road at 6pm.

Hospital waiting times aside (I know these can vary greatly) how long does the actual test itself take? From the info on the pamphlet they sent me there doesn't seem to be much to it so I'm just wondering if the actual procedure is quick enough (again, excluding wait times).

Thanks

lilydonoghue

I think you would be quick enough. Once a doctor isn't involved things go fairly quickly. I don't think a doctor would be involved in doing that test. that's my experience anyway for what its worth.

Kurtosis

Assuming it's the 13C urea breath test being conducted, the standard time between ingesting the urea sample and the post-sample breath test appears to be 30 minutes (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660834/). So leaving time for the pre-sample breath test, I'd imagine the test itself would probably take 45-60 minutes.

SparkySpitfire

Thanks that's very helpful

Mycroft H

I'd one a while back in Blanch and was back in the car within an hour.