Respiratory Flows in the Pulmonary Acinus

The pulmonary acinus, known as the gas exchange region of the lung, encompasses the complex of millions of sub-millimeter alveoli and may represent a potential host for pulmonary complications and diseases. These health disorders may require the inhalation of therapeutic drugs typically administered in the form of aerosolized particles. Both a precise understanding of the mechanisms leading to particle deposition as well as the need to target aerosols to specific pulmonary sites, remain ongoing challenges and depend directly on the fluid dynamics in the lung, and specifically on the microflows present in the acinar region. These considerations call not only for a deepening of our understanding of the fluid mechanics pertinent to the acinar region of the lung, but also, for the potential development of novel strategies towards improved and enhanced particle deposition inside the lung. The present thesis, which lies at the interface between engineering and medicine, is concerned with the role of convective respiratory flows in the acinar region of the lung, in conjunction with the transport and deposition of inhaled particles.