Acyanotic defect (Patent Ductus Arteriosis) PDA

Question 1

describe normal fetal circulation

Answer 1

• blood goes to the right atrium
• then go the right ventricle
• then, it goes to the pulmonary artery BUT IT DOESN’T GO TO THE LUNGS.
• instead, the blood leaves the pulmonary artery and it goes straight over to the aorta via the patent ductus arteriosus.

Question 2

why doesn’t the baby’s blood go to the lungs?

Answer 2

because when the baby is in the belly, the baby’s lungs are collapsed and they get oxygen through the placenta.

Question 3

when is the patent ductus arteriosus supose to close?

Answer 3

when the baby is born and takes the first breath (when it closes, their blood flow becomes like that of an adult)

Question 4

what happens when the ductus arteriosus stays open after birth?

Answer 4

when the blood gets to the aorta from the left ventricle, it is confused because it sees that opening at the ductus. Normally, blood goes straight to the body from the aorta, but in this case, it wants to go to the ductus.

some blood is going straight like its suppose to, but some of the blood is going through the open ductus

Question 5

how do we know someone has it?

Answer 5

machinery like murmur
or

have signs of left sided heart failure

Question 6

THE MAIN DRUG TO CLOSE THE PDA IS__

Answer 6

Indomethacin - a prostaglandin inhibitor (or they may do surgery)