Coupled mixed-dimensional multiphase porous media approach for modeling airflow, blood flow, and gas exchange in the human lungs

Coupled mixed-dimensional multiphase porous media approach for modeling airflow, blood flow, and gas exchange in the human lungs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Coupled mixed-dimensional multiphase porous media approach for modeling airflow, blood flow, and gas exchange in the human lungs Lea J. Köglmeier, Barbara Wirthl, Carolin M. Eichinger, Buğrahan Z. Temür, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7753089/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving therapeutic intervention for patients with impaired pulmonary function, yet it carries the risk of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). At bedside, physicians face the challenge of keeping lung tissue in a healthy state while ensuring sufficient gas exchange. Gas exchange occurs between the air in the alveoli and the dense network of pulmonary blood vessels in their walls, and it strongly depends on the balance between ventilation and perfusion. Mismatches between them are a major cause of impaired gas exchange in pulmonary diseases. However, the precise effects of ventilation, including tissue straining on the pulmonary circulation and the connected gas exchange, are largely unknown. Here, we therefore present an approach to computationally model the respiratory and circulatory systems of the human lungs, including gas exchange. Motivated by the lung’s hierarchical structure, our model represents larger airways and blood vessels as spatially resolved discrete networks of zero-dimensional (0D) models that are embedded into a multiphase porous medium (3D). The porous medium models the smaller respiratory and vascular structures, including lung tissue mechanics, in a homogenized way. Additionally, the respiratory gases-oxygen and carbon dioxide-are incorporated as chemical subcomponents of air and blood, with an exchange model in the porous domain. To connect the homogenized (porous domain) and the discrete (networks) representations of airways and blood vessels, we use a 0D-3D coupling method that allows a non-matching spatial discretization of both domains. This comprehensive coupled approach is physics-based, i.e., based on the underlying physical mechanisms, allowing us to investigate the (often unknown and unmeasurable) interplay between ventilation, tissue deformation, perfusion, and its effects on gas exchange dynamics. We anticipate our approach to be an important milestone towards better addressing clinically relevant questions in respiratory care \textit{in silico}, which will contribute to developing improved ventilation strategies and better patient outcomes. Lung modeling Respiratory mechanics Perfusion Gas exchange Porous media 0D-3D coupling Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 28 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 27 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 02 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 30 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7753089","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":525428102,"identity":"9f6f28ab-974a-47f0-a595-7e0743b272f4","order_by":0,"name":"Lea J. 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