Modeling and simulation of two-compartmental nonlinear model of lung ventilatory function

This paper presents a two-compartmental, nonlinear model for the lung ventilatory function that characterizes the lung into the left and the right lobes. The models make use of two adaptive trackers, one for each lobe, to estimate the parameters characterizing the lung ventilatory function Le. airway resistance (R) and lung compliance (C). These two adaptive trackers are coupled together using the Otis ' equations so that the effective R and C cart be determined. For the nonlinear model, a component to account for turbulent airflow ill the larynx and trachea, especially at high rates of airflow is incorporated into the model. The final proposed model which is the two-compartmental nonlinear model, is aimed at providing information not only on the mechanical properties of the individual lung lobes but also on the type of airflow in the larynx and trachea. The models are constructed within a problem solving environment.