The Mechanics of Lung Tissue under High-Frequency Ventilation
AUTHORS:
Markus R. Owen (1,2) & Mark A. Lewis (2)
1: Nonlinear and Complex Systems Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University,
Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
2: Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA.
ABSTRACT:
High frequency ventilation is a radical departure from conventional
lung ventilation, with frequencies greater than 2 Hz, and volumes per
breath much smaller than the anatomical dead-space. Its use has been
shown to benefit premature infants and patients with severe
respiratory distress, but a vital question concerns ventilator induced
damage to the lung tissue, and a clear protocol for the most effective
treatment has not been identified. Mathematical modelling can help in
understanding the underlying processes in lung ventilation, and hence
in establishing such a protocol. In this paper we describe the use of
homogenisation theory to predict the macroscopic behaviour of lung
tissue based upon the microstructure of respiratory regions. This
approach yields equations for macroscopic air-flow, pressure, and
tissue deformation, with parameters which can be determined from a
specification of the tissue microstructure and its material
properties.
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