Closed-Loop CFD Analysis of the Fontan Cardiovascular Circulation

One out of 150 newborn babies born with congenital heart disease, approximately 7.5% of those infants have a single ventricle (SV). The Fontan operation, which is a procedure to create a harmonious circulation in SV patients, has been performed for a long time to save the newborn patients. In this procedure the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava, which carry the oxygen-poor blood from the upper and lower body back to the heart, are linked directly to the pulmonary arteries, bypassing the atrial connection. Even though this operation has been around for years, the patients who have undergone this operation have experienced chronic illnesses and their surviving probability is about 50% by age twenty. To reduce this risk, an Injection Jet Shunt (IJS) is presented to connect the single ventricle to the Fontan pulmonary arteries and effectively improve blood flow circulation. In this study, two closed-loop models of the simplified Fontan circulation system, with and without IJS, were built using Catia V5 and fluid flow simulations were performed using Star CCM+ to find out the influence of using the IJS. Results of the aortic, atrial, and caval pressures as well as flow rates for both models were compared to determine the effectiveness of the IJS.