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Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bostrom, BL; Fahlman, A; Jones, DR
Published in: Respiratory physiology & neurobiology
May 2008

Marine mammals have very compliant alveoli and stiff upper airways; an adaptation that allows air to move from the alveoli into the upper airways, during breath-hold diving. Alveolar collapse is thought occur between 30 and 100 m and studies that have attempted to estimate gas exchange at depth have used the simplifying assumption that gas exchange ceases abruptly at the alveolar collapse depth. Here we develop a mathematical model that uses compliance values for the alveoli and upper airspaces, estimated from the literature, to predict volumes of the respiratory system at depth. Any compressibility of the upper airways decreases the volume to contain alveolar air yielding lung collapse pressures 2x that calculated assuming an incompressible upper airway. A simple relationship with alveolar volume was used to predict relative pulmonary shunt at depth. The results from our model agree with empirical data on gas absorption at depth as well as the degree of tracheal compression in forced and free diving mammals.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Respiratory physiology & neurobiology

DOI

EISSN

1878-1519

ISSN

1569-9048

Publication Date

May 2008

Volume

161

Issue

3

Start / End Page

298 / 305

Related Subject Headings

  • Trachea
  • Respiratory Mechanics
  • Pulmonary Gas Exchange
  • Pulmonary Atelectasis
  • Pulmonary Alveoli
  • Pressure
  • Physiology
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Models, Biological
  • Mammals
 

Citation

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Bostrom, B. L., Fahlman, A., & Jones, D. R. (2008). Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 161(3), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2008.03.003
Bostrom, Brian L., Andreas Fahlman, and David R. Jones. “Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals.Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 161, no. 3 (May 2008): 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2008.03.003.
Bostrom BL, Fahlman A, Jones DR. Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals. Respiratory physiology & neurobiology. 2008 May;161(3):298–305.
Bostrom, Brian L., et al. “Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals.Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, vol. 161, no. 3, May 2008, pp. 298–305. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.resp.2008.03.003.
Bostrom BL, Fahlman A, Jones DR. Tracheal compression delays alveolar collapse during deep diving in marine mammals. Respiratory physiology & neurobiology. 2008 May;161(3):298–305.
Journal cover image

Published In

Respiratory physiology & neurobiology

DOI

EISSN

1878-1519

ISSN

1569-9048

Publication Date

May 2008

Volume

161

Issue

3

Start / End Page

298 / 305

Related Subject Headings

  • Trachea
  • Respiratory Mechanics
  • Pulmonary Gas Exchange
  • Pulmonary Atelectasis
  • Pulmonary Alveoli
  • Pressure
  • Physiology
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Models, Biological
  • Mammals