Efficiency differences in computational simulations of the total cavo-pulmonary circulation with and without compliant vessel walls

The Fontan operation is a palliative surgical procedure performed on children born with congenital defects of the heart that have yielded only a single functioning ventricle. The total cavo-pulmonary connection (TCPC) is the most popular variant of the Fontan procedure. The objective of the study was to quantify and compare the efficiency of numerical models of the TCPC with rigid versus elastic vessel wall models. The pressure drop and power loss through both type TCPC models was measured. Significant differences in efficiencies exist between rigid versus elastic numerical models. We have shown incorporating elasticity into numerical models of the total cavo-pulmonary connection is important when determining circuit efficiencies.