Mechanical respiratory physiotherapy: optimization of targeted pulsation therapy

Project Partners: J. A. Dieudonné Laboratory and Respinnovation

In human beings, 90% of energy is produced through respiration, which requires oxygen and produces carbon dioxide. Oxygen must continuously be captured from the ambient air and carbon dioxide must be removed at the same pace. These gas exchanges take place at the bottom of the lung during a ventilatory cycle. However, some diseases such as asthma, bronchiolitis, COPD or cystic fibrosis can disrupt these transfers by accumulating mucus in the bronchial tree, and then preventing air from flowing properly into the lung. Treatments for these diseases use, inter alia, respiratory physiotherapy (manual or mechanical), which seeks to lift the mucus by applying specific mechanical constraints to the chest.

RespInnovation has designed a medical device that provides mechanical respiratory physiotherapy treatment to help expectorate mucus in the event of congestion. It uses a new innovative method called "Oscillation à Hautes Fréquences de la Cage Thoracique par pulsations focalisées" ("High Frequency Thoracic Cage Oscillation by Targeted Pulsations"). Clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of this therapy, which is also appreciated by patients for its ease of use. However, the way this technique interacts with lung and mucus biomechanics is very poorly understood and there is no scientific evidence to explain how it works. This project aims to use mathematical and numerical modeling to understand, and if possible optimize, the effects of the device proposed by RespInnovation. We are trying to understand how the properties of induced deformation in the thorax are related to mucus flows in the bronchi. Our model is based on the coupling of a mechanical environment (mimicking lung tissue) with an airflow in a structured network of bronchi mimicking the bronchial tree.

Project Start and End Dates: March 2017 – September 2017