Basic Principles of Particle Behavior in the Human Respiratory Tract

GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health Munich, Germany 

If inspired particles were carried only convectively with the bulk of airflow, losses of these particles in the respiratory tract would be negligible. However, all inspired particles experience a nonzero chance of being lost. This is due to particle transport toward airway and airspace surfaces as a result of mechanical and electrical forces acting upon the particles. Upon contact with these surfaces, the particles are deposited. The human respiratory tract can therefore be considered as an aerosol filter, removing particles from the inspired air. The effectiveness of this filter depends on 

The breathing pattern and morphology of the subject inspiring the particles 

The following pages discuss how the filter characteristics of the human respiratory tract or its regions are affected by these factors and what implications this has for an efficient aerosol therapy. This chapter also summarizes the development of the field over the last two decades  

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Heyder J, Svartengren MU (2002) Basic principles of particle behavior in the human respiratory tract. In Bisgaard H, O Callaghan C, Smaldone GC (eds.) Drug Delivery to the Lung. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York. 

Basic Principles of Particle Behavior in the Human Respiratory Tract... 

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