Effect of tube length on the buckling pressure of collapsible tubes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The higher incidence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in men than in women has been attributed to the upper airway being longer in men. The Starling resistor is the paradigm biomechanical model of upper airway collapse in OSA where a collapsible tube (representing the pharynx) is located between two rigid tubes (representing the nasal cavity and trachea). While the Starling resistor has been extensively studied due to its relevance to many physiological phenomena, the effect of tube length on tube collapsibility has not been quantified yet.

Methods

Finite element analysis of a 3-dimensional collapsible tube subjected to a transmural pressure was performed in ANSYS Workbench. The numerical methods were validated with in vitro experiments in a silicone tube whose mo

SUBMITTER: Zarandi MAF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8440427 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature