Induced respiratory system modeling by high frequency chest compression using lumped system identification method

High frequency chest compression (HFCC) treatment systems are used to promote mucus transport and mitigate pulmonary system clearance problems to remove sputum from the airways in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and at risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Every HFCC system consists of a pump generator, one or two hoses connected to a vest, to deliver the pulsation. There are three different waveforms in use; symmetric sine, the asymmetric sine and the trapezoid waveforms. There have been few studies that compared the efficacy of a sine waveform with the HFCC pulsations. In this study we present a model of the respiratory system for a young normal subject who is one of co-authors. The input signal is the pressure applied by the vest to chest, at a frequency of 6 Hz. Using the system model simulation, the effectiveness of different source waveforms is evaluated and compared by observing the waveform response associated with air flow at the mouth. Also the study demonstrated that the ideal rectangle wave produced the maximum peak air flow, and followed by the trapezoid, triangle and sine waveform. The study suggests that a pulmonary system evaluation or modeling effort for CF patient might be useful as a method to optimize frequency and waveform structure choices for HFCC therapeutic intervention.