Litwin Patrick D, Reis Dib Anna Luisa, Chen John, Noga Michelle, Finlay Warren H, Martin Andrew R
Cross Cancer Institute, Canada.
Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada.
J Biomech. 2017 Jun 14;58:217-221. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2017.04.002. Epub 2017 Apr 18.
Argon has the potential to be a novel inhaled therapeutic agent, owing to the neuroprotective and organoprotective properties demonstrated in preclinical studies. Before human trials are performed, an understanding of varying gas properties on airway resistance during inhalation is essential. This study predicts the effect of an 80% argon/20% oxygen gas mixture on the pressure drop through conducting airways, and by extension the airway resistance, and then verifies these predictions experimentally using 3-D printed adult tracheobronchial airway replicas. The predicted pressure drop was calculated using established analytical models of airway resistance, incorporating the change in viscosity and density of the 80% argon/20% oxygen mixture versus that of air. Predicted pressure drop for the argon mixture increased by approximately 29% compared to that for air. The experimental results were consistent with this prediction for inspiratory flows ranging from 15 to 90slpm. These results indicate that established analytical models may be used to predict increases in conducting airway resistance for argon/oxygen mixtures, compared with air. Such predictions are valuable in predicting average patient response to breathing argon/oxygen mixtures, and in selecting or designing delivery systems for use in administration of argon/oxygen mixtures to critically ill or injured patients.
由于临床前研究已证明氩气具有神经保护和器官保护特性，它有潜力成为一种新型吸入治疗剂。在进行人体试验之前，了解吸入过程中不同气体特性对气道阻力的影响至关重要。本研究预测了80%氩气/20%氧气混合气体对通过传导气道的压降的影响，并由此推断气道阻力，然后使用3D打印的成人气管支气管气道模型进行实验验证这些预测。使用已建立的气道阻力分析模型计算预测压降，该模型纳入了80%氩气/20%氧气混合物与空气相比的粘度和密度变化。与空气相比，氩气混合物的预测压降增加了约29%。对于15至90slpm的吸气流量，实验结果与该预测一致。这些结果表明，与空气相比，已建立的分析模型可用于预测氩气/氧气混合物传导气道阻力的增加。此类预测对于预测患者对呼吸氩气/氧气混合物的平均反应，以及为危重症或受伤患者选择或设计用于输送氩气/氧气混合物的给药系统具有重要价值。
