Biomaterial Database

Collateral ventilation by diffusion across the alveolar walls and the exchange of inert gases in the lung. 1991

S C Luijendijk, and W R de Vries, and A Zwart

Dept of Pulmonology, University Hospital Maastricht, State University of Limburg, The Netherlands.

The underlying hypothesis of this study is that collateral ventilation by diffusion of occluded air spaces in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may play a substantial role in the pulmonary gas exchange of these patients. Using a related lung model we have simulated: a) the multiple-breath washout of helium (He) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) from the alveolar space, and b) the washout of inert tracer gases with different blood-gas partition coefficients, range 0.01-330, from mixed venous blood. These computations were carried out for different values of the collateral diffusion capacity (CDC). Next, the results obtained at each individual value of CDC were used to compute the breath number (NCR) at the crossing-over of the He-SF6 washout curves and the inert gas shunt fraction QS/QC. NCR and QS/QC range up to about 100 and 0.04, respectively, when CDCSF6 ranges down to about 0.1 ml.min-1.mmHg-1. These ranges for NCR and QS/QC, and the typical finding of relatively large values for NCR in combination with small values for QS/QC, are also reported in the literature for patients with COPD. These agreements thus support our hypothesis. In line with the small values for QS/QC, our results further indicate that even large, well-perfused, occluded air spaces in the lung will hardly affect the recovered ventilation/perfusion distribution obtained from inert gas data when CDCSF6 exceeds 0.1 ml.min-1.mmHg-1.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008173	Lung Diseases, Obstructive	Any disorder marked by obstruction of conducting airways of the lung. AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION may be acute, chronic, intermittent, or persistent.	Obstructive Lung Diseases,Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases,Lung Disease, Obstructive,Obstructive Lung Disease,Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,Pulmonary Disease, Obstructive,Pulmonary Diseases, Obstructive
D008954	Models, Biological	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of biological processes or diseases. For disease models in living animals, DISEASE MODELS, ANIMAL is available. Biological models include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Biological Model,Biological Models,Model, Biological,Models, Biologic,Biologic Model,Biologic Models,Model, Biologic
D011650	Pulmonary Alveoli	Small polyhedral outpouchings along the walls of the alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts and terminal bronchioles through the walls of which gas exchange between alveolar air and pulmonary capillary blood takes place.	Alveoli, Pulmonary,Alveolus, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Alveolus
D011659	Pulmonary Gas Exchange	The exchange of OXYGEN and CARBON DIOXIDE between alveolar air and pulmonary capillary blood that occurs across the BLOOD-AIR BARRIER.	Exchange, Pulmonary Gas,Gas Exchange, Pulmonary
D003198	Computer Simulation	Computer-based representation of physical systems and phenomena such as chemical processes.	Computational Modeling,Computational Modelling,Computer Models,In silico Modeling,In silico Models,In silico Simulation,Models, Computer,Computerized Models,Computer Model,Computer Simulations,Computerized Model,In silico Model,Model, Computer,Model, Computerized,Model, In silico,Modeling, Computational,Modeling, In silico,Modelling, Computational,Simulation, Computer,Simulation, In silico,Simulations, Computer
D006371	Helium	A noble gas with the atomic symbol He, atomic number 2, and atomic weight 4.003. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is not combustible and does not support combustion. It was first detected in the sun and is now obtained from natural gas. Medically it is used as a diluent for other gases, being especially useful with oxygen in the treatment of certain cases of respiratory obstruction, and as a vehicle for general anesthetics.	Helium-4,Helium 4
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013459	Sulfur Hexafluoride	Sulfur hexafluoride. An inert gas used mainly as a test gas in respiratory physiology. Other uses include its injection in vitreoretinal surgery to restore the vitreous chamber and as a tracer in monitoring the dispersion and deposition of air pollutants.	Hexafluoride, Sulfur