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Anatole Besarab, MD; Mitchell Litt, D Eng S

Arch Intern Med. 1970;126(3):504-507.

Abstract
The adhesiveness of bronchial mucus is directly related to its role as a filter. In disease the increased tackiness of mucus may also play a role in difficulty of reopening closed airways. A study was made of the pressures required to reopen collapsed tubes whose walls were coated with mucus or similar polymer solutions. Opening pressures were recorded as a function of collapsing force, time of application of force, and length of joint ruptured. The rupture properties depend primarily on the viscosity of the fluid. The elastic properties may be important if reopening pressure is applied rapidly, as in percussion. Reopening pressure is dependent on time of collapse only for a short initial time, implying a critical collapse time in the lung after which it is much more difficult to reopen an airway.

Author Affiliations
Philadelphia

From the School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Dr. Besarab is now with the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia.

Footnotes
Received for publication Dec 22, 1969; accepted May 14,1970.

Read before the session éntitled Comparability of Model Systems and Relevance to Man (Hollis G. Boren, MD, chairman) of the workshop on Pulmonary Responses to Inhaled Materials: An Evaluation of Model Systems, Castle Harbour, Bermuda, Oct 23,1969.

Reprint requests to 220 S 33rd St, Philadelphia 19104 (Dr. Litt).

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