Flow Field Analysis of Tracheal Bronchial Airway Passage Flow Field for Effective Drug Delivery
P. Sridharan, C. PonSelvi and M. BobbyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai, India, 602105
Corresponding Author E-mail : sridharan89@hotmail.com
Abstract: Respiratory illness is a pathological condition targeting the lung cavity affecting the exchanging of gases resulting in difficulty in breathing cycle .Respiratory physiology is one mainstream that needs a lot of research not just in the anatomical aspect but also on geometrical parameters as well, which gives a deeper insight into the efficiency and effectiveness of drug delivery. Complexity involved with the respiratory passage is quite high, making it difficult to carry out an in depth analysis regarding the flow patterns in humans. In this study, we have generated a subject-specific airway model mimicking the structure of an anatomical lung extending into the bronchioles to study the effectiveness of drug delivery using the nebulizer for healthy and edematic subject. Significant drug delivery to the edematic zones can result in effective treatment and faster recovery, reducing the possibility of tissue damage. Understanding respiratory geometry give us deep awareness on the internal cavity that can aid in effective diagnosis and can shed light on fruitful drug delivery. Constructing model of edematic subjects tracheal and bronchus geometry, taking internal obstruction into consideration and designing patient-specific nebulizer will have an effective drug delivery resulting in increased healing of the edema at the terminal ends of the bronchioles, paving the way to faster recovery. Respiratory flow patterns are verified for normal and edematous conditions showing pronounced differences in end pressure and velocity values due to the obstruction in the flow passage due to the presence of watery fluid.
Keywords: Edema; Flow Dynamics; Pressure; Velocity Back to TOC