• A B Lumb, A D Burns, J A Figueroa Rosette, K B Gradzik, D B Ingham, and M Pourkashanian.
• School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
• Anaesthesia. 2015 May 1; 70 (5): 577-84.

AbstractWe have used computational fluid dynamic modelling to study the effects of tracheal tube size and position on regional gas flow in the large airways. Using a three-dimensional mathematical model, we simulated flow with and without a tracheal tube, replicating both physiological and artificial breathing. Ventilation through a tracheal tube increased proportional flow to the left lung from 39.5% with no tube to 43.1-47.2%, depending on tube position. Ventilation mode and tube distance from the carina had no effect on flow. Lateral displacement and deflection of the tube increased ventilation to the ipsilateral lung; for example, when deflected 10° to the left of centre, flow to the left lung increased from 43.8 to 53.7%. Because of the small diameter of a tracheal tube relative to the trachea, gas exits a tube at high velocity such that regional ventilation may be affected by changes in the position and angle of the tube. © 2015 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

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