Study of the sneezing effects on the real human upper airway using fluid–structure interaction method

Abstract

Human pleural cavity pressure rises substantially because of Valsalva maneuver during sneezing. However, the deformations in the upper airway respiratory system significantly increase due to flow rate growth in sneezing, and laryngeal fracture can be mentioned as one of the symptoms of this severe deformation during the Valsalva maneuver. Therefore, the accurate study of the distribution of pressure and velocity, in this case, is very important. In the present study, using a real human upper airway model, the pressure and velocity of the air flow, generated in the tract during the sneezing, have been investigated. Moreover, using a spirometer device, the outlet flow rate from the mouth during the sneezing was obtained. The simulation results indicated that the inlet pressure to the tract, existing in the bronchus region, reached a maximum of 14 kPa. By having such pressure input, the highest deformation, created in the upper airway, was calculated using the fluid–structure interaction method and it has been confirmed that the majority of the deformation happened in the maxillary sinus as well as the thyroid cartilage.