Alex Vadati

There is a need for more individualized treatment of critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation (MV). Therefore, this research aims to create a preliminary multi-scale computational modeling framework for MV in critically ill COVID-19 patients as a step toward studying region-specific and overall lung dynamics in these patients. This goal was accomplished by developing proof-of-concept image-based computer models providing insight into airflow redistribution and volume and pressure gradients on a lobe-specific basis. Our in silico multi-scale MV models simulated redistribution of ventilation for up to 20% of air volume from severely damaged lung lobes to the lobes less affected by COVID-19, hence potentially revealing a risk factor of MV-induced volutrauma due to heterogeneity of lung damage distribution in COVID-19. This study lays the foundation for future COVID-19 patient-specific lung models for individualized simulation of MV.