Three-dimensional model of surfactant replacement therapy
Abstract
To our knowledge, this paper presents the first structural model of surfactant replacement therapy (SRT), the delivery of liquid bolus surfactant mixtures into the lung airways. SRT has succeeded in premature neonates with surfactant deficiency but mostly failed in adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome, which claims ∼74,500 lives annually in the United States at a 39% mortality rate. Our model incorporates the fluid mechanics of the liquid bolus propagating through a branching airway tree with gravity effects. It reveals well-mixed distributions in the neonatal lung, but poorly mixed, highly nonlinear distribution features in adult lungs. The model suggests adult SRT failures are likely due to inadequate delivery, while providing a rational basis for successful protocols.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- July 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1504025112
- Bibcode:
- 2015PNAS..112.9287F