A tidal breathing model of the forced inspired inert gas sinewave technique

We have shown previously that it is possible to assess the cardio-respiratory function using sinusoidally oscillating inert gas forcing signals of nitrous oxide and argon (Hahn et al., 1993). This method uses an extension of a mathematical model of respiratory gas exchange introduced by Zwart et al. (1976), which assumed continuous ventilation. We investigate the effects of this assumption by developing a mathematical model using a single alveolar compartment and incorporating tidal ventilation, which must be solved using numerical methods. We compare simulated results from the tidal model with those from the continuous model, as the governing ventilatory and cardiac parameters are varied. The mathematical model is designed to be the basis of an on-line, non-invasive, cardio-respiratory measurement method, and will only be useful if the associated parameter recovery techniques are both reliable and robust. We demonstrate, in the presence of simulated measurement errors, that: (a) accurate recovery of the ventilatory parameters end-tidal volume, VA, and airways series dead-space, VD, are possible using the tidal breathing model; and (b) that a robust technique for recovery of pulmonary blood flow, Q(p), can be obtained using the more familiar continuous ventilation model.