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Kaczka Laboratory

Research Focus

My research interests focus on quantifying mechanical heterogeneity in diseases of the respiratory system, such as asthma, COPD, and acute lung injury. My lab relies on several advanced engineering techniques to quantify lung heterogeneity and optimize ventilation distribution, such .as forced oscillation measurements of lung impedance, digital signal processing, image analysis, and computational modeling of respiratory mechanics.

Current Funding

W81XWH-21-1-0507          Kaczka (PI)          08/01/2021-7/31/2024

Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program

“Preclinical Evaluation of Multifrequency Oscillatory Ventilation in a Large-Animal Model of Acute Respiratory Failure”. 

The goal of this project is to evaluate a new ventilation strategy, multi-frequency oscillatory ventilation, in a large animal model of ARDS.  Evaluation will be accomplished by collecting cytokine biomarkers and CT scans throughout the experiment.

W81XWH-20-1-0696          Nieman (PI), Kaczka (Co-PI)          09/20/2020 – 08/31/2023

Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program

“Computationally Optimized Ventilation in the Prehospital Hospital Setting”. 

The goal of this project is to use modeling to design ventilatory waveforms that are intended to reduce ventilator induced lung injury, implement the strategy on a commercial ventilator (ZOLL Medical 731 EMV+) and then the waveforms in a porcine model. 

Role: Co-Principal Investigator.  Principal Investigator for subaward at the University of Iowa.

Disciplines

  • Physiology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Pulmonology
  • Anaesthetics

Skills and expertise

  • Ventilation
  • Lung
  • Respiratory Mechanics
  • Mechanical Ventilation
  • Airway Obstruction
  • Respiratory Physiology
  • Lung Diseases
  • Pulmonary Circulation
  • Respiration Disorders
  • Acute Lung Injury