Date of Award

Spring 4-2018

Access Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Committee Chair

Eduardo Divo

First Committee Member

Victor Huayamave

Second Committee Member

Marcus Ni

Abstract

The hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is one of the rarest congenital heart diseases affecting infants. Out of 150 babies born, one baby suffers from congenital heart disease. Furthermore, nine percent out of those suffering from congenital heart disease specifically suffer from hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). To this end, the Fontan operation which is a procedure to generate a harmonic blood flow in single functioning ventricle patients has been executed to palliate HLHS patients. In this operation, the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the superior vena cava (SVC), carrying the low-oxygenated blood returning from the lower and upper body back to the heart, are connected to the pulmonary arteries. Despite the fact that the Fontan operation has been executed for years, it is still not the effective palliation to heal HLHS patients since those who have undergone this procedure experience chronic diseases. In order to mitigate the risk associated with the Fontan procedure, an Injection Jet Shunt (IJS) is suggested to connect the aorta to the total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Thus, the purpose of utilizing the IJS is to add momentum to the pulmonary arteries. This research is concerning two models, baseline model and IJS model. Those two models represent a simplified Fontan physiology. The purpose of this research is to distinguish the effectiveness of using the IJS.

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