Mucus transport by high-frequency nonsymmetrical oscillatory airflow.

To study air-mucus interaction as a possible mechanism of tracheal mucus transport and to test the validity of using surface tracer displacement to indicate bulk mucus transport, we performed a combined experimental-theoretical study. We hypothesized that the mucus mass is moved by the difference between expiratory and inspiratory velocities. The rate of transport of a layer of simulated mucus lining the bottom of a rectangular trough was measured in two ways during oscillatory air flow. Peak velocity ratios (R) from 1.0 to 2.0, frequencies (f) between 7 and 13 Hz, and tidal volumes (VT) between 50 and 100 ml were generated by a custom-made pump. The experimental results demonstrate that measuring the displacement of a tracer deposited on the surface of the mucus layer is equivalent to measuring bulk mucus movement by weight. Moreover the measured mucus velocities (micron) correlate well with a theoretical model which predicts that micron is proportional to delta VT f1.5 (R-1). These results suggest that shearing at the air-mucus interface could be a significant factor in the enhanced tracheal mucus clearance during high-frequency chest wall oscillation.