Steady and oscillatory transnasal pressure-flow relationships in healthy adults

The influence of flow characteristics and gas physical properties on nasal resistance (NR) is difficult to ascertain with traditional rhinomanometric methods because the respiratory airflows used in these methods are largely uncontrolled. As an alternative, we used a novel method of rhinomanometry in which an externally generated flow is passed through the nasal passage via a mouthpiece. The transnasal pressure-flow relationships for both quasi-steady and oscillating flows and with different gases were obtained in five healthy adults with this method. For quasi-steady nasal flows the dimensionless pressure losses were largely independent of physical properties of the gas and a function of the Reynolds number (Re) of the flow. Values of NR for quasi-steady flows were largely independent of flow direction for Re up to roughly 3,000 in all five subjects and for Re up to roughly 19,000 in two of the five subjects. Airway collapse occurred in two subjects at Re greater than 3,000, suggesting that the nonrigid segments of the nasal passage contribute to the intersubject variations in NR at high flow rates. Pressure losses associated with oscillating flows measured at frequencies between 1 and 16 Hz were similar to steady flow losses provided that Re was less than roughly 3,000. For Re greater than 3,000 the oscillating flow resistances were affected by the phasic redistribution of flow into compliant segments of the nasal passage. These results indicate that, for flow rates and harmonic frequencies associated with breathing at rest, the nasal passage behaves as a rigid rough-walled pipe in which pressure losses are largely determined by forces relating to viscous friction and convective accelerations.