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B Suki

Publications and source records attributed to B Suki.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Nonlinearity and harmonic distortion of dog lungs measured by low-frequency forced oscillations.

The nonlinearity of lung tissues and airways was studied in six anesthetized and paralyzed open-chest dogs by means of 0.1-Hz sinusoidal volume forcing at mean transpulmonary pressures (Ptp) of 5 and 10 cmH2O. Lung resistance (RL) and elastance (EL) were determined in a 32-fold range (15-460 ml) of tidal volume (VT), both by means of spectrum analysis at the fundamental frequency and with conventional time-domain techniques. Alveolar capsules were used to separate the tissue and airway properties. A very small amplitude dependence was found: with increasing VT, the frequency-domain estimates of RL decreased by 5.3 and 14%, whereas EL decreased by 20 and 22% at Ptp = 5 and 10 cmH2O, respectively. The VT dependences of the time-domain estimates of RL were higher: 10.5 and 20% at Ptp = 5 and 10 cmH2O, respectively, whereas EL remained the same. The airway resistance increased moderately with flow amplitude and was smaller at the higher Ptp level. Analysis of the harmonic distortions of airway opening pressure and the alveolar pressures indicated that nonlinear harmonic production is moderate even at the highest VT and that VT dependence is homogeneous throughout the tissues. In three other dogs it was demonstrated that VT dependences of RL and EL were similar in situ and in isolated lungs at both Ptp levels.

Airway Resistance↗

A nonlinear viscoelastic model of lung tissue mechanics.

There have been a number of attempts recently to use linear models to describe the low-frequency (0-2 Hz) dependence of lung tissue resistance (Rti) and elastance (Eti). Only a few attempts, however, have been made to account for the volume dependence of these quantities, all of which require the tissues to be plastoelastic. In this paper we specifically avoid invoking plastoelasticity and develop a nonlinear viscoelastic model that is also capable of accounting for the nonlinear and frequency-dependent features of lung tissue mechanics. The model parameters were identified by fitting the model to data obtained in a previous study from dogs during sinusoidal ventilation. The model was then used to simulate pressure and flow data by use of various types of ventilation patterns similar to those that have been employed experimentally. Rti and Eti were estimated from the simulated data by use of four different estimation techniques commonly applied in respiratory mechanics studies. We found that the estimated volume dependence of Rti and Eti is sensitive to both the ventilation pattern and the estimation technique, being in error by as much as 217 and 22%, respectively.

Airway Resistance↗

Mechanical impedance of the canine diaphragm. Part 1. Experimental system and measurements.

A technique which does not require the measurement of strain has been developed for the investigation of the incremental dynamic properties of soft tissue sheets. Radially prestressed and circularly clamped canine diaphragm samples were exposed to small-amplitude pseudorandom pressure variations. From the measurement of these pressure variations and the volume flow caused by the vibration of the membrane the incremental mechanical impedance spectrum was computed in the 0.25-5 Hz frequency range at three different levels of initial stress. The diaphragm tissue was found to be basically elastic. However, the small viscous component showed a sharp negative frequency dependence between 0.25 and 2 Hz. The quasistatic elastances of the samples were in good agreement with the elastance values derived from the impedance data. The relationship between the elastance and the initial stress was close to linear. It was concluded that the method is applicable to the study of the incremental dynamic properties of planar soft tissue samples.

Animals↗

Mechanical impedance of the canine diaphragm. Part 2. Theoretical model and parameter estimation.

In the paper the equation of motion of the small amplitude transverse forced vibration of a radially prestressed and circularly clamped thin membrane has been developed. The material of the membrane is considered to be homogeneous, isotropic, incompressible and viscoelastic. From the analytical solution of this equation the incremental mechanical impedance of the membrane was derived as a function of frequency, geometrical parameters and incremental viscoelastic coefficients of the material. The parameters of the model were fitted to experimental impedance data using a global optimisation procedure to obtain the incremental viscoelastic moduli of the canine diaphragm. The estimated quasi-static behaviour of the model is shown to be consistent with the results of experimental quasi-static measurements. It is concluded that the incremental viscoelastic moduli of a soft tissue and the stress dependence of these material coefficients can be determined by fitting the parameters of the model to the impedance data of that particular tissue.

Animals↗

Respiratory impedance to ambient pressure changes at low frequencies.

Respiratory impedance may be studied by measuring airway flow (Vaw) when pressure is varied at the mouth (input impedance) or around the chest (transfer impedance). A third possibility, which had not been investigated so far, is to apply pressure variations simultaneously at the two places, that is to vary ambient pressure (Pam). This provides respiratory impedance to ambient pressure changes (Zapc = Vaw/Pam). In that situation airway impedance (Zaw) and tissue impedance (Zt) are mechanically in parallel, and both are in series with alveolar gas impedance (Zg): Zapc = Zaw + Zg + Zaw.Zg/Zt. We assessed the frequency dependence of Zapc from 0.05 to 2 Hz in nine normal subjects submitted to sinusoidal Pam changes of 2-4 kPa peak to peak. The real part of Zapc (Rapc) was of 6.2 kPa.1(-1).s at 0.05 Hz and decreased to 1.9 kPa.1(-1).s at 2 Hz. Similarly the effective compliance (Capc), computed from the imaginary part of Zapc, decreased from 0.045 1.kPa-1 at 0.05 Hz to 0.027 1.kPa-1 at 2 Hz. Breathing against an added resistance of 0.46 kPa.1(-1).s exaggerated the negative frequency dependence of both Rapc and Capc. When values of airway resistance and inertance derived from transfer impedance data were introduced, Zapc was used to compute effective tissue resistance (Rt) and compliance (Ct). Rt was found to decrease from 0.32 to 0.15 kPa.1(-1).s and Ct from 1.11 to 0.64 1.kPa-1 between 0.25 and 2 Hz. Ct was slightly lower with the added resistance. These results are in good agreement with the data obtained by other approaches.

Adult↗

Modeling of low-frequency pulmonary impedance in dogs.

The mechanical impedance of the lungs (ZL) was measured in open-chest dogs with small-amplitude pseudorandom volume oscillations between 0.125 and 5 Hz, at mean transpulmonary pressures (Ptp) of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 kPa. At the lowest frequencies, the pulmonary resistance showed a marked negative frequency dependence and mirrored the changes in the reactance with altered Ptp. The ZL data were evaluated on the basis of two models, each containing the same airway compartment with a resistance and an inertance. The tissue impedance (Zti) in model 1 was represented with two compliances and a resistance (L. E. Mount. J. Physiol. Lond. 127: 157-167, 1955), whereas in model 2 a two-parameter formulation implying rate-independent dissipated work and frequency-dependent elastance (J. Hildebrandt. J. Appl. Physiol. 28: 365-372, 1970) was employed. The estimation of model parameters showed that model 2 was superior to model 1 in both fitting performance and parameter insensitivity to weighting in the fitting criterion. The model 2 coefficients of damping and elastance, characterizing the real and imaginary parts of Zti, respectively, depended on the lung distension and were closely correlated. Although ZL exhibited a slight dependence on the peak-to-peak volume excursion, at a given oscillatory volume no inconsistency with linear tissue viscoelasticity was detected.

Animals↗

Analysis of the dynamic characteristics of pressure transducers for studying respiratory mechanics at high frequencies.

Differential pressure transducers are commonly used to study respiratory mechanics at physiological frequencies as well as during external forcing at high frequencies. In the latter condition, measuring errors could occur if the input impedance of the pressure transducers is not sufficiently large with respect to that of the respiratory system. In this work we analysed the input impedance Z and the transfer function H of two common pressure transducers (Validyne MP-45 and Celesco LCVR) equipped with membranes of different sensitivities and with connecting tubes of different lengths. Z was measured by the tube method and H was measured by comparison with a flat-response pressure transducer. In agreement with the predictions based on a simple lumped-parameters model, we found that Z reached very low values, especially at the frequencies where H had a resonance peak. For instance, for the widespread Validyne MP-45 transducer (200 Pa) with connecting tubes of 16 cm length and 3.8 mm internal diameter a minimum of Z of 8300 Pa s litre-1 at 96 Hz was measured; at that frequency the amplitude of H attained a value of 3.1. Using the above transducer model we simulated the measurement of a rat input impedance up to 128 Hz using Validyne and Celesco transducers. With the Validyne MP-45 (200 Pa), equipped with the same connecting tubes as above, the computed error reached up to 50 per cent for the real part and 140 per cent for the imaginary part.

Animals↗

Lung impedance in healthy humans measured by forced oscillations from 0.01 to 0.1 Hz.

Lung impedance was measured from 0.01 to 0.1 Hz in six healthy adults by superimposing small-amplitude forced oscillations on spontaneous breathing. Measurements were made with an almost constant-volume input (160-180 ml) or with an almost constant-flow input (20-30 ml.s-1). No significant difference was found between the two conditions. Lung resistance (RL) sharply decreased from 0.97 kPa.l-1.s at 0.01 Hz to 0.27 kPa.l-1.s at 0.03 Hz and then mildly to 0.23 kPa.l-1.s at 0.1 Hz. Lung effective compliance (CL) decreased slightly and regularly from 0.01 Hz (2.38 l.kPa-1) to 0.1 Hz (1.93 l.kPa-1). The data were analyzed using a linear viscoelastic model adapted from Hildebrandt (J. Appl. Physiol. 28:365-372, 1970) and complemented by a Newtonian resistance (R): RL = R + B/(9.2f); CL = 1/(A + 0.25B + B.log2 pi f), where f is the frequency and B/A is an index of lung tissue viscoelasticity. A good fit was generally obtained, with an average difference of 10% between the observed and predicted values. The ratio B/A was not affected by the breathing and was 10.6 and 13.6% in the constant-volume and constant-flow conditions, respectively, which agrees with Hildebrandt's observations in isolated cat lungs. R was systematically larger than the plethysmographic airway resistance, suggesting that lung tissue resistance might also include a Newtonian component.

Adult↗

Human respiratory impedance from 8 to 256 Hz corrected for upper airway shunt.

Respiratory input impedance (Zrs) was measured from 8 to 256 Hz in 10 healthy subjects by a method that eliminated the shunt impedance of extrathoracic airway walls. It consisted of combining the data obtained with a pressure input at the mouth (standard method, Zst) and with a pressure input around the head (Zhg) Zrs = Zst.(Zp + Zhg)/(Zp + Zst) where Zp is the impedance of the mouthpiece and pneumotachograph. Large quantitative differences were observed between Zrs and Zst, demonstrating that the standard method is unreliable at such frequencies. The real part of Zrs increased from 2.6 +/- 0.8 cmH2O.l-1.s at 8 Hz to a maximum of 38 +/- 19 cmH2O.l-1.s at 158 +/- 49 Hz. The imaginary part exhibited a maximum of 19 +/- 8 cmH2O.l-1.s at 126 +/- 38 Hz, a resonance at 157 +/- 43 Hz, and a minimum of lambda 19 +/- 16 cmH2O.l-1.s at 185 +/- 45 Hz. The data were analyzed with five models featuring alveolar gas compressibility; tissue resistance, inertance, and compliance; and different representations of the airways with lumped and distributed parameters. All except the simplest (lumped frequency-dependent resistance) fitted the data equally well, but none provided reliable estimates of gas compliance. Three models gave a consistent description of the airway in terms of equivalent rigid tubes (cross-sectional area 3.5-3.7 cm2, length 47-51 cm). We conclude that high-frequency input impedance could prove useful in exploring the airways but not the peripheral lung.

Adult↗

Low-frequency respiratory mechanical impedance in the rat.

A modified forced oscillatory technique was used to determine the respiratory mechanical impedances in anesthetized, paralyzed rats between 0.25 and 10 Hz. From the total respiratory (Zrs) and pulmonary impedance (ZL), measured with pseudorandom oscillations applied at the airway opening before and after thoracotomy, respectively, the chest wall impedance (ZW) was calculated as ZW = Zrs - ZL. The pulmonary (RL) and chest wall resistances were both markedly frequency dependent: between 0.25 and 2 Hz they contributed equally to the total resistance falling from 81.4 +/- 18.3 (SD) at 0.25 Hz to 27.1 +/- 1.7 kPa.l-1 X s at 2 Hz. The pulmonary compliance (CL) decreased mildly, from 2.78 +/- 0.44 at 0.25 Hz to 2.36 +/- 0.39 ml/kPa at 2 Hz, and then increased at higher frequencies, whereas the chest wall compliance declined monotonously from 4.19 +/- 0.88 at 0.25 Hz to 1.93 +/- 0.14 ml/kPa at 10 Hz. Although the frequency dependence of ZW can be interpreted on the basis of parallel inhomogeneities alone, the sharp fall in RL together with the relatively constant CL suggests that at low frequencies significant losses are imposed by the non-Newtonian resistive properties of the lung tissue.

Animals↗

Respiratory mechanical impedance in the rat.

The forced oscillatory impedance of the total respiratory system (Zrs) was measured in seven anaesthetized, paralysed rats weighing 351 +/- 55 g. Tracheotomy was performed, and the animals were placed in the supine position in a body box. Pseudo-random pressure variations between 0.5 and 10 Hz were applied around the chest. Central airflow was measured with a heated screen pneumotachograph. Total respiratory resistance (Rrs) and elastance (Ers), corrected for the impedance of the tracheal cannula, were markedly frequency-dependent: Rrs fell from 37.3 +/- 19.1 kPa.l-1.s at 0.5 Hz to 17.6 +/- 4.4 at 2 Hz and 10.3 +/- 3.3 at 10 Hz; the corresponding Ers values were 453 +/- 14, 594 +/- 90 and 713 +/- 104 kPa.l-1, respectively. This indicates that in the frequency range encompassing spontaneous breathing rates the classical resistance-intertance-compliance model provides an inadequate description of the respiratory mechanics in the rat.

Airway Resistance↗

Forced oscillatory impedance of the respiratory system at low frequencies.

Respiratory mechanical impedances were determined during voluntary apnea in five healthy subjects, by means of 0.25- to 5-Hz pseudo/random oscillations applied at the mouth. The total respiratory impedance was partitioned into pulmonary (ZL) and chest wall components with the esophageal balloon technique; corrections were made for the upper airway shunt impedance and the compressibility of alveolar gas. Neglect of these shunt effects did not qualitatively alter the frequency dependence of impedances but led to underestimations in impedance, especially in the chest wall resistance (Rw), which decreased by 20-30% at higher frequencies. The total resistance (Rrs) was markedly frequency dependent, falling from 0.47 +/- 0.06 (SD) at 0.25 Hz to 0.17 +/- 0.01 at 1 Hz and 0.15 +/- 0.01 kPa X l-1 X s at 5 Hz. The changes in Rrs were caused by the frequency dependence of Rw almost exclusively between 0.25 and 2 Hz and in most part between 2 and 5 Hz. The effective total respiratory (Crs,e) and pulmonary compliance were computed with corrections for pulmonary inertance derived from three- and five-parameter model fittings of ZL. Crs,e decreased from the static value (1.03 +/- 0.18 l X kPa-1) to a level of approximately 0.35 l X kPa-1 at 2-3 Hz; this change was primarily caused by the frequency-dependent behavior of chest wall compliance.

Abdominal Muscles↗

Lung tissue rheology and 1/f noise.

The mechanical properties of lung tissue are important contributors to both the elastic and dissipative properties of the entire organ at normal breathing frequencies. A number of detailed studies have shown that the stress adaptation in the tissue of the lung following a step change in volume is very accurately described by the function t-k, for some small positive constant k. We applied step increases in length to lung parenchymal strips and found the ensuing stress recovery to be extremely accurately described by t-k over almost 3 decades of time, despite the quasi-static stress-length characteristics of the strips being highly nonlinear. The corresponding complex impedance of lung tissue was found to have a magnitude that varied inversely with frequency. We note that this is highly reminiscent of a phenomenon known as 1/f noise, which has been shown to occur ubiquitously throughout the natural world. 1/f noise has been postulated to be a reflection of the complexity of the system that produces it, something like a central limit theorem for dynamic systems. We have therefore developed the hypothesis that the t-k nature of lung tissue stress adaptation follows from the fact that lung tissue itself is composed of innumerable components that interact in an extremely rich and varied manner. Thus, although the constant k is no doubt determined by the particular constituents of the tissue, we postulate that the actual functional form of the stress adaptation is not.

Animals↗

Assessment of time-domain analyses for estimation of low-frequency respiratory mechanical properties and impedance spectra.

Time-domain estimation has been invoked for tracking of respiratory mechanical properties using primarily a simple single-compartment model containing a series resistance (Rrs) and elastance (Ers). However, owing to the viscoelastic properties of respiratory tissues, Rrs and Ers exhibit frequency dependence below 2 Hz. The goal of this study was to investigate the bias and statistical accuracy of various time-domain approaches with respect to model properties, as well as the estimated impedance spectra. Particular emphasis was placed on establishing the tracking capability using a standard step ventilation. A simulation study compared continuous-time versus discrete-time approaches for both the single-compartment and two-compartment models. Data were acquired in four healthy humans and two dogs before and after induced severe pulmonary edema while applying sinusoidal and standard ventilator forcing. Rrs and Ers were estimated either by the standard Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) approach or by a time-domain least square estimation. Results show that the continuous-time model form produced the least bias and smallest parameter uncertainty for a single-compartment analysis and is quite amenable for reliable on-line tracking. The discrete-time approach exhibits large uncertainty and bias, particularly with increasing noise in the flow data. In humans, the time-domain approach produced smooth estimates of Rrs and Ers spectra, but they were statistically unreliable at the lower frequencies. In dogs, both the FFT and time-domain analysis produced reliable and stable estimates for Rrs or Ers spectra for frequencies out to 2 Hz in all conditions. Nevertheless, obtaining stable on-line parameter estimates for the two-compartment viscoelastic models remained difficult. We conclude that time-domain analysis of respiratory mechanics should invoke a continuous-time model form.

Animals↗

Harmonic distortion from nonlinear systems with broadband inputs: applications to lung mechanics.

We present a simple index, extended harmonic distortion (kd), to represent the degree of system nonlinearity under sparse pseudorandom noise inputs (SPRN). The frequencies in a SPRN waveform are neither harmonics nor sums or differences of the other component frequencies. Expressed by percentage, the kd is the square root of the ratio of output power at non-input frequencies to the total output power. We evoke three simple corrections to recover the true kd under imperfect SPRN inputs. Simulations on two block-structured nonlinear models (Wiener and Hammerstein) demonstrate the necessity and effectiveness of these corrections especially for the Wiener-type nonlinearity. By applying kd to pressure-flow data of dog lungs, we found that the nonlinear harmonic interactions from a lung arise primarily from its tissues most likely the processes governing the tissue stiffness. This nonlinearity, assessed from kd, is stronger at higher tidal volumes and enhanced (but to a lesser degree) during bronchoconstriction. We conclude that since the kd approach avoids the necessity for multiple-input measurements and lengthy data records, it may be useful for tracking the dynamic variations in nonlinearities of a physiological system.

Animals↗

A model of transient oscillatory pressure-flow relationships of canine airways.

In a previous paper (27) we developed a lumped parameter model of canine pulmonary airway mechanics featuring airway wall elasticity, gas inertance, and laminar and turbulent gas flow. The model accurately accounted for the steady-state pressure-flow data we obtained during sinusoidal cycling of the lung following a period of apnea. In the present paper, we extend the model to account for the transient decrease in the amplitude of the trans-airway pressure swings that we observed immediately following the apnea, which we have shown to be due to a vagally mediated bronchodilatation reflex. The extended model accounts for this transient in terms of a sudden change in airway smooth muscle tone acting on the viscoelastic properties of the airway wall and tissues mechanically coupled to it. Consequently, this model is able to temporarily store a volume of gas in the conducting airway tree as its volume changes cyclically with that of the whole lung. This means that the flow entering the airway tree from the trachea at any instant (V) is not precisely equal to that entering the alveoli (Valv) even when the gas is considered incompressible. We found that assuming V to be equal to Valv can lead to errors in estimating respiratory tissue impedance of as much as 10%. However, tissue hysteresivity remained almost unaffected, suggesting that the hysteretic properties of respiratory system tissues and airway wall are well matched.

Animals↗

Serial distribution of airway diameters from input impedance and computed tomography.

Indirect measures of airway diameter such as respiratory system input impedance (Zin) have been widely used to infer or quantify bronchoconstriction, or bronchodilation. One such measure, Zin above 100 Hz has been shown to be primarily influenced by airway geometry and airway walls but not by lung and chest wall tissues. We used a recently developed method based on a complex asymmetrically branched network of tubes with nonrigid walls to analyze Zin from 100 to 2,000 Hz in control and bronchoconstricted (histamine injection) dogs. The resulting estimates of airway diameters indicated that peripheral airways were constricted far more (approximately 30% of their control diameters) than central airways (i.e., 0% in the trachea). Separate measurements of changes in airway diameters were made in an excised dog lung using high resolution computed tomography. The observed changes in airway diameter between lung volumes of total lung capacity (TLC) and functional residual capacity (FRC) were quantitatively consistent with those obtained from Zin data in our control dogs at FRC. We conclude that this systems identification method can be used to estimate the distribution of airway diameters from Zin.

Airway Resistance↗

Sensitivity analysis for evaluating nonlinear models of lung mechanics.

We present a combined theoretical and numerical procedure for sensitivity analyses of lung mechanics models that are nonlinear in both state variables and parameters. We apply the analyses to a recently proposed nonlinear lung model which incorporates a wide range of potential nonlinear identification conditions including nonlinear viscoelastic tissues, airway inhomogeneities via a parallel airway resistance distribution function, and a nonlinear block-structure paradigm. Additionally, we examine a system identification procedure which fits time- and frequency-domain data simultaneously. Model nonlinearities motivate sensitivity analyses involving numerical approximation of sensitivity coefficients. Examination of the normalized sensitivity coefficients provides direct insight on the relative importance of each model parameter, and hence the respective mechanism. More formal quantification of parameter uniqueness requires approximation of the paired and multidimensional parameter confidence regions. Combined with parameter estimation, we use the sensitivity analyses to justify tissue nonlinearities in modeling of lung mechanics for healthy and airway constricted conditions, and to justify both airway inhomogeneities and tissue nonlinearities during bronchoconstriction. The tools in this paper are general and can be applied to a wide class of nonlinear models.

Airway Resistance↗