Rheological control of mucolytic therapy in patients with COPD

Abstract

The technique and hardware for the express-test of rheological properties of small amounts of sputum in patients with COPD have been elaborated. The method is based on the computer analysis of the thinning process of sputum capillary thread. It has been shown that rheological properties of sputum can be desoribed by Maxwell’s model for the elastico-viscous fluid. The in vitro process of sputum destruction due to different mucolytic agents has been studied. The monitoring was assessed using elastico-viscous characteristics of fluid — the relaxation time. The efficacy of various mucolytic agents in different forms of COPD has been observed. The proteolytic activity of microsporic flora has been assessed in experiment. The above mentioned method is of perspective for making mucolytic therapy more optimistic.