A multi-scale model of gas transport in the lung to study heterogeneous lung ventilation during the multiple-breath washout test
Fig 9
Spatial N2 concentration distribution after the fifth breath for regional and local type compliance modifications.
Spatial concentration distributions for regional (a) and local (b) type modifications at the end of the fifth breath. In trumpet lobules with lowered compliance (ϕ = 0.5) the concentration remains high, whereas the lobules with increased compliance (ϕ = 1.5) are washed out more efficiently. In panel (c), the corresponding washout profile is shown. The different profiles in the phase III (slope vs. plateau) for regional and local type modifications correlate with the pattern of the concentrations gradients at airway bifurcations. Panel (d) shows the temporal evolution (trend) of the normalized phase III slopes sIII for regional and local type modifications of the lobular compliance.