Development and technical characterization of a biomimetic thorax simulator for regional intrapulmonary pressure measurement
7 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
- 2Medical Faculty, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- 3Institute of Medical Informatics (IMI), Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
- 4Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinic, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- 5Department of Internal Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Giessen, Germany
- 6Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Giessen, Germany
- 7Excellence Cluster Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Giessen, Germany
Abstract
Background: Mechanical ventilation is a cornerstone therapy for respiratory failure, but heterogeneous regional pressure distribution can lead to localized lung stress and ventilator-induced lung injury. To accurately investigate these dynamics, physiologically realistic experimental platforms are required. However, current experimental models either rely on simplified mechanical lung analogues or lack the capability to measure spatially resolved intrapulmonary pressure dynamics.
Methods: A biomimetic thorax–lung simulator incorporating an ex vivo porcine lung was used to measure regional intrapulmonary pressures during pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation. The lung was positioned within an airtight thoracic chamber operated at a nominal subatmospheric baseline pressure and connected to an anatomically realistic upper airway model. Pressure signals were recorded simultaneously at seven anatomical locations, including the trachea, main bronchi, and upper and lower lung regions. Ventilation was performed across positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels ranging from 0 to 20 mbar while maintaining a constant driving pressure of 15 mbar. Regional pressure transmission, pressure-trajectory hysteresis, and Poincaré-derived dispersion were analyzed together with tidal volume and dynamic system compliance.
Results: The platform enabled simultaneous acquisition of regional intrapulmonary pressure signals, airway pressure, flow, and chamber pressure across all investigated ventilator settings. Repeated measurements showed high within-specimen technical repeatability, with repeated median regional pressure values differing by approximately 0.02 mbar. Regional pressure attenuation, pressure-flow indices, and trachea-to-region regression parameters were derived as engineering metrics of pressure transmission. Tidal volume and dynamic system compliance were reconstructed from the synchronized flow and tracheal-pressure signals. In the investigated specimen, peripheral regions showed greater pressure-trajectory hysteresis and pressure-state dispersion at low PEEP than under higher PEEP conditions.
Conclusion: The developed platform enables synchronized regional intrapulmonary pressure measurements under controlled mechanical ventilation and showed high short-term within-specimen repeatability. In the investigated specimen, static pressure transmission was largely homogeneous, whereas regional pressure-trajectory dynamics differed between central and peripheral measurement sites, particularly at low PEEP. Increasing PEEP was associated with reduced regional pressure-trajectory hysteresis and variability within this specimen. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of the platform and provide a basis for subsequent validation in additional specimens and against independent physiological reference data.
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BibTeX
@article{sohrabi2026development,
title = {{Development and technical characterization of a biomimetic thorax simulator for regional intrapulmonary pressure measurement}},
author = {Keywan Sohrabi and Jasmin Spaar and Tibor Jung and Niklas Ostwald and Patrick Fischer and Oskar Seifert and Dominik Kraft and István Vadász},
journal = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fbioe.2026.1907500},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2026.1907500},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Development and technical characterization of a biomimetic thorax simulator for regional intrapulmonary pressure measurement
AU - Keywan Sohrabi
AU - Jasmin Spaar
AU - Tibor Jung
AU - Niklas Ostwald
AU - Patrick Fischer
AU - Oskar Seifert
AU - Dominik Kraft
AU - István Vadász
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
DO - 10.3389/fbioe.2026.1907500
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2026.1907500
AB - Background: Mechanical ventilation is a cornerstone therapy for respiratory failure, but heterogeneous regional pressure distribution can lead to localized lung stress and ventilator-induced lung injury. To accurately investigate these dynamics, physiologically realistic experimental platforms are required. However, current experimental models either rely on simplified mechanical lung analogues or lack the capability to measure spatially resolved intrapulmonary pressure dynamics. Methods: A biomimetic thorax–lung simulator incorporating an ex vivo porcine lung was used to measure regional intrapulmonary pressures during pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation. The lung was positioned within an airtight thoracic chamber operated at a nominal subatmospheric baseline pressure and connected to an anatomically realistic upper airway model. Pressure signals were recorded simultaneously at seven anatomical locations, including the trachea, main bronchi, and upper and lower lung regions. Ventilation was performed across positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels ranging from 0 to 20 mbar while maintaining a constant driving pressure of 15 mbar. Regional pressure transmission, pressure-trajectory hysteresis, and Poincaré-derived dispersion were analyzed together with tidal volume and dynamic system compliance. Results: The platform enabled simultaneous acquisition of regional intrapulmonary pressure signals, airway pressure, flow, and chamber pressure across all investigated ventilator settings. Repeated measurements showed high within-specimen technical repeatability, with repeated median regional pressure values differing by approximately 0.02 mbar. Regional pressure attenuation, pressure-flow indices, and trachea-to-region regression parameters were derived as engineering metrics of pressure transmission. Tidal volume and dynamic system compliance were reconstructed from the synchronized flow and tracheal-pressure signals. In the investigated specimen, peripheral regions showed greater pressure-trajectory hysteresis and pressure-state dispersion at low PEEP than under higher PEEP conditions. Conclusion: The developed platform enables synchronized regional intrapulmonary pressure measurements under controlled mechanical ventilation and showed high short-term within-specimen repeatability. In the investigated specimen, static pressure transmission was largely homogeneous, whereas regional pressure-trajectory dynamics differed between central and peripheral measurement sites, particularly at low PEEP. Increasing PEEP was associated with reduced regional pressure-trajectory hysteresis and variability within this specimen. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of the platform and provide a basis for subsequent validation in additional specimens and against independent physiological reference data.
SN - 2296-4185
ER -