CT-FEM of the human thorax: Frequency response function and 3D harmonic analysis at resonance

Background and Objective High-frequency chest wall compression (HFCC) therapy by airway clearance devices (ACDs) acts on the rheological properties of bronchial mucus to assist in clearing pulmonary secretions. Investigating low-frequency vibrations on the human thorax through numerical simulations is critical to ensure consistency and repeatability of studies by reducing extreme variability in body measurements across individuals. This study aims to present the numerical investigation of the harmonic acoustic excitation of ACDs on the human chest as a gentle and effective HFCC therapy.

Methods Four software programs were sequentially used to visualize medical images, decrease the number of surfaces, generate and repair meshes, and conduct numerical analysis, respectively. The developed methodology supplied the validation of the effect of HFCC through computed tomography-based finite element analysis (CT-FEM) of a human thorax. To illustrate the vibroacoustic characteristics of the HFCC therapy device, a 146-decibel sound pressure level (dBSPL) was applied on the back-chest surface of the model. Frequency response function (FRF) across 5–100 Hz was analyzed to characterize the behaviour of the human thorax with the state-space model.

Results We discovered that FRF pertaining to accelerance equals 0.138 m/s2N at the peak frequency of 28 Hz, which is consistent with two independent experimental airway clearance studies reported in the literature. The state-space model assessed two apparent resonance frequencies at 28 Hz and 41 Hz for the human thorax. The total displacement, kinetic energy density, and elastic strain energy density were furthermore quantified at 1 µm, 5.2 µJ/m3, and 140.7 µJ/m3, respectively, at the resonance frequency. In order to deepen our understanding of the impact on internal organs, the model underwent simulations in both the time domain and frequency domain for a comprehensive analysis.

Conclusion Overall, the present study enabled determining and validating FRF of the human thorax to roll out the inconsistencies, contributing to the health of individuals with investigating gentle but effective HFCC therapy conditions with ACDs. This innovative finding furthermore provides greater clarity and a tangible understanding of the subject by simulating the responses of CT-FEM of the human thorax and internal organs at resonance.