Numerical Simulation of Central Airway Gas Flow Dynamics During Conventional and Multi-Frequency Ventilation

Bing Han; Emmanuel Akor; Andrea Fonseca da Cruz; Mingchao Cai; David W. Kaczka

doi:10.1115/1.4069032

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Numerical Simulation of Central Airway Gas Flow Dynamics During Conventional and Multi-Frequency Ventilation

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Numerical Simulation of Central Airway Gas Flow Dynamics During Conventional and Multi-Frequency Ventilation

Bing Han, Emmanuel Akor, Andrea Fonseca da Cruz, Mingchao Cai and David W. Kaczka

Journal of biomechanical engineering, Vol.147(10), 101004

10/01/2025

DOI: 10.1115/1.4069032

PMCID: PMC12617608

PMID: 40579932

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Abstract

Patients with acute respiratory failure often require supportive mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate gas exchange. Recent studies have shown that multi-frequency ventilation (MFV), the technique of presenting multiple simultaneous frequencies in flow or pressure at the airway opening, may provide more uniform ventilation distribution and parenchymal strain throughout the mechanically heterogeneous lung. In this study, we simulated gas flow within a porcine central airway tree, from the trachea to the fifth generation, with dynamic boundary conditions during volume-controlled conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) cycled at 0.27 Hz (16.2 min-1), as well as MFV waveforms comprised of two fast sinusoidal components (i.e., 3.5 Hz and 7.0 Hz) superimposed on the 0.27 Hz CMV waveform. By using forced gas flows at the airway opening of the computational lung model, dynamic pressures at various airway segments were predicted, based on the interactions of internal flow with the downstream elastances and peripheral airway resistances. Internal airflows were simulated and analyzed in both time- and frequency-domains. The results indicate that MFV resulted in stronger asymmetric flow (i.e., “pendelluft”) at end-inspiration and end-expiration. MFV also appeared to augment inlet-outlet phase differences for both pressure and flow compared with CMV, suggesting that MFV may enhance gas mixing, thus facilitating more efficient ventilation.

multifrequency ventilation

conventional mechanical ventilation

computational fluid dynamics

asymmetric flow

gas mixing

Details

Title: Subtitle: Numerical Simulation of Central Airway Gas Flow Dynamics During Conventional and Multi-Frequency Ventilation
Creators: Bing Han - Morgan State University
Emmanuel Akor - University of Iowa
Andrea Fonseca da Cruz - University of Iowa
Mingchao Cai - Morgan State University
David W. Kaczka - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of biomechanical engineering, Vol.147(10), 101004
DOI: 10.1115/1.4069032
PMID: 40579932
PMCID: PMC12617608
NLM abbreviation: J Biomech Eng
ISSN: 0148-0731
eISSN: 1528-8951
Publisher: ASME
Grant note: Army Research Office
Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 06/28/2025
Date published: 10/01/2025
Academic Unit: Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Radiology; Anesthesia
Record Identifier: 9984833488302771

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