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FSI Analysis of the Coughing Mechanism in a Human Trachea

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Abstract

The main physiological function of coughing is to remove from the airways the mucus and foreign particles that enter the lungs with respirable air. However, in patients with endotracheal tubes, further surgery has to be performed to improve cough effectiveness. Thus, it is necessary to analyze how this process is carried out in healthy tracheas to suggest ways to improve its efficacy in operated patients. A finite element model of a human trachea is developed and used to analyze the deformability of the tracheal walls under coughing. The geometry of the trachea is obtained from CT of a 70-year-old male patient. A fluid structure interaction approach is used to analyze the deformation of the wall when the fluid (in this case, air) flows inside the trachea. A structured hexahedral-based grid for the tracheal walls and an unstructured tetrahedral-based mesh with coincident nodes for the fluid are used to perform the simulations with the finite element-based commercial software code (ADINA R&D Inc.). Tracheal wall is modeled as an anisotropic fiber reinforced hyperelastic solid material in which the different orientation of the fibers is introduced. The implantation of an endotracheal prosthesis is simulated. Boundary conditions for breathing and coughing are applied at the inlet and at the outlet surfaces of the fluid mesh. The collapsibility of a human trachea under breathing and coughing is shown in terms of flow patterns and wall stresses. The ability of the model to reproduce the normal breathing and coughing is proved by comparing the deformed shape of the trachea with experimental results. Moreover the implantation of an endotracheal prosthesis would be related with a decrease of coughing efficiency, as clinically seen.

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Acknowledgments

The support of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the research project PI07/90023 and the CIBER initiative is highly appreciated. The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical support of Dr. Yiguang Yan (ADINA R&D Inc.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Group of Structural Mechanics and Materials Modeling, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain), C/María de Luna 3, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain

    M. Malvè, A. Pérez del Palomar & M. Doblaré

  2. Centro de Investigacíon Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), C/María de Luna 11, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain

    M. Malvè, A. Pérez del Palomar & M. Doblaré

  3. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    M. Malvè, A. Pérez del Palomar & M. Doblaré

  4. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hospital Virgen del Rocío, Seville, Spain

    J. L. López-Villalobos & A. Ginel

Authors
  1. M. Malvè
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  2. A. Pérez del Palomar
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  3. J. L. López-Villalobos
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  4. A. Ginel
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  5. M. Doblaré
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Correspondence to M. Malvè.

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Associate Editor John H. Linehan oversaw the review of this article.

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Malvè, M., del Palomar, A.P., López-Villalobos, J.L. et al. FSI Analysis of the Coughing Mechanism in a Human Trachea. Ann Biomed Eng 38, 1556–1565 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-010-9951-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-010-9951-3

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