[en] Application of a LED-photodiode optocouple for the study of human respiratory function is considered. The optocouple operating in the middle-infrared part of the spectrum (with the peak of the LED emission at 4.1 μm at 300 K) was applied for monitoring changes in CO_2 concentration during respiration of a human. Studies were carried out simultaneously with the measurements of pressure in the left and right halves of the nose cavity. The results of the study open possibilities for using infrared optocouples as sensitive elements in compact and cheap sensors detecting breath abnormalities associated with respiratory and other diseases. (paper)