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Settling and diffusion of aerosol particles in small airways during breath holding

  • Respiratory Particle Transport
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Abstract

A discussion and evaluation of the analysis describing deposition of aerosal particles due to Brownian motion and gravitational sedimentation during breath holding periods is presented. Analytic results are compared with published experimental data describing exponential recovery of aerosol with breath-holding time. Mathematical solutions for deposition with different types of assumed initial conditions are compared. Coupled simultaneous effects of diffusion with gravitational sedimentation are considered and the validity of various approximation schemes for the analysis of deposition is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

    Irwin S. Goldberg & R. Brian Smith

  2. Departments of Physics and Engineering, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas

    Irwin S. Goldberg

Authors
  1. Irwin S. Goldberg
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  2. R. Brian Smith
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Goldberg, I.S., Smith, R.B. Settling and diffusion of aerosol particles in small airways during breath holding. Ann Biomed Eng 9, 557–575 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02364771

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