Cardiovascular adaptation to the Fontan circulation.

Hemodynamic performance of the Fontan circulation compared with a normal biventricular circulation: a computational model study.

The physiological limitations of the Fontan circulation have been extensively addressed in the literature. Many studies emphasized the importance of pulmonary vascular resistance in determining cardiac output (CO) but gave little attention to other cardiovascular properties that may play considerable roles as well. The present study was aimed to systemically investigate the effects of various c...

Management of the failing Fontan circulation

The ‘Fontan circulation’ has evolved to include a variety of surgical procedures designed to overcome the absence of two distinct ventricular chambers. w1ew3 Inherent to this circulation is chronic elevation of right atrial and vena caval pressure, and absence of a dedicated power source to serve the pulmonary circulation, making low pulmonary vascular resistance and optimal systemic ventricula...

Imaging for preintervention planning: pre- and post-Fontan procedures.

Peripheral vascular adaptation and orthostatic tolerance in Fontan physiology.

BACKGROUND The Fontan circulation is critically dependent on elevated venous pressures to sustain effective venous return. We hypothesized that chronically increased systemic venous pressures lead to adaptive changes in regional and peripheral vessels to maintain cardiac output, especially when patients are upright. METHODS AND RESULTS Nine post-Fontan procedure patients (aged 13 to 24 years)...

Where Is the “Optimal” Fontan Hemodynamics?

Fontan circulation is generally characterized by high central venous pressure, low cardiac output, and slightly low arterial oxygen saturation, and it is quite different from normal biventricular physiology. Therefore, when a patient with congenital heart disease is selected as a candidate for this type of circulation, the ultimate goals of therapy consist of 2 components. One is a smooth adjus...