The future of respiratory simulation at UAS Technikum Wien

Lung simulation has been an integral part of teaching and research activities at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien for over a decade. The efforts of FHTW in recent years were recently recognized at the annual conference of the Austrian Society for Biomedical Engineering, which took place in Vienna from 2 to 3 November 2023. At the conference, Richard Pasteka received the Best PhD Award for his work on “Modeling the human respiratory system for clinically relevant applications”. Pasteka is a researcher and lecturer at the Medical Engineering & Integrated Healthcare competence field at UAS Technikum Wien.

In addition, Vasil Vodenicharov (Lab Technician at the Medical Engineering & Integrated Healthcare Competence Center) presented the latest advances in adult and neonatal respiratory simulation at the same conference, revealing a variety of possibilities in neonatal research that were previously not possible. These breakthroughs have already paved the way for the use of the simulator in research aimed at optimizing and comparing methods of surfactant delivery in preterm infants. Surfactant is a substance that reduces the surface tension of a liquid or the interfacial tension between two phases and enables or supports the formation of dispersions or acts as a solubilizer. Research into surfactant administration methods is carried out in collaboration with colleagues at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, MedUni Vienna.

Lung simulation at UAS Technikum Wien

The work in the field of lung simulation has led to numerous courses, internships, theses and publications, which underline the joint commitment of all those involved.

The educational concept gives students the opportunity to consolidate their theoretical understanding of anatomy and physiology. Through practical experience, they can observe and experiment with how changes in respiratory parameters affect the respiratory process and lung inflation and deflation. Students from the Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s degree program and the Medical Engineering & eHealth Master’s degree program are the main participants in these initiatives.

In the field of research, various respiratory scenarios are simulated, focusing on clinically relevant applications such as testing patient-ventilator interactions and evaluating aerosolized drug delivery methods. The number, concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles generated by common aerosol inhalers can be experimentally evaluated during inhalation and exhalation simulations.

Innovative simulator

At the center of these activities is the electromechanical lung simulator xPULM™. This innovative simulator represents an innovative approach to modeling the behavior of the respiratory system and is capable of simulating different breathing patterns with high accuracy. Its unique design enables simulated breathing using different lung equivalents, including polymer-based breathing bags or animal models. Crucially, the simulator reliably captures the changes in volume, pressure and flow corresponding to natural human respiratory cycles. The transparent chamber housing the lung equivalents allows real-time observation of lung inflation and deflation.

The continuous development of the simulator enables new challenges in medical technology to be overcome.

Pictured, from right: Richard Pasteka, researcher & lecturer at the Field of competence Medical Engineering & Integrated Healthcare and Johannes Martinek (Study program director Bachelor Biomedical Engineering & Master Healthcare and Rehabilitation Technology).

Vasil Vodenicharov (Laboratory technician at the Field of Competence Medical Engineering & Integrated Healthcare) presented the latest advances in respiratory simulation in adults and newborns.