Protective Artificial Lung Ventilation: Impact of an Endotracheal Tube on the Flow in a Generic Trachea

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental investigations on a generic model of the trachea have been carried out focusing on the impact of an endotracheal tube (ETT) on the resulting flow regime. It could be shown that detailed modelling of the airway management devices is essential for proper flow prediction, but secondary details as Murphy Eyes can be neglected. Models with bending and connector promote the formation of stronger secondary flows and disturbances which persist for a longer time.