Effect of Gas Oscillation-Induced Irreversible Flow in Transitional Bronchioles of Human Lung

Abstract

Gas exchange in human lungs is established by several flow mechanisms. In the present study, the features of gas displacement in the distal bronchioles of a human lung are investigated by both numerical calculation and experimental observation with particle image velocimetry. The effect of respiration frequency is considered, such as high frequency oscillatory ventilation. By comparing the obtained results, it has been found that the redistribution of gas is attributed to irreversible flow, which is remarkable in higher frequencies oscillation with even lower tidal volumes. Owing to the continuous driving, a time-averaged net flow was induced and intensified by the oscillation. Thus, the gas in the centre region penetrated the deeper region and the outer gas was evacuated to the upper region. Consequently, this streaming contributes to prompt gas replacement. Furthermore, we analysed the effect of the respiration wave form to consider the flow acceleration. From this inspection, it was found that the enhanced inertial force tends to encourage the irreversible flow.