Cardiovascular changes at birth Flashcards
Three types of mammals
Monotremes, marsupials and placentals.
What is required after birth?
Specific and fully organised neurological reflex pathways.
What changes are required to meet this pathway?
Hormonal function, epidermal function, loss of placenta and cardiovascular changes.
Effect of placenta loss
Heat generation needs to be maintained, intestinal, liver, lung and kindey function starts.
Liver function
Increases after birth and becomes vital for life.
Intestinal function
Movement, digestion and absorption begins.
Renal function
Excretion and increased reabsorption becomes vital.
Why are cardiovascular changes needed?
Loss of placenta, intestinal function, liver function and lung function all increase.
Umbilical cord blood supply
2 arteries and one vein.
What blood enters placenta?
Deoxygenated blood from the mother, maternal venule and arteriole spiral in to deposit into sinuses surrounding villi increasing the pressure.
What is the foetal portion of placenta called?
The chorion.
Placenta structure at birth
12cm in radius, 0.5kg when drained of blood, 2cm thick and 10m^2 exchange surface.
Role of placenta
Transfers respiratory gases, nutrients (not triglycerides), metabolic waste and IgG, acts as a heat sink, as a circulatory reservoir, immune modulator and produces hormones.
How are triglycerides given to foetus?
They are absorbed and broken down by lipase to fatty acids.
Where does NH3 from foetus go?
To maternal kodiney.
Immune modulatory function of placenta
Actively suppresses host vs graft reaction.
Hormones produced by placenta
hCG (maintains CL ), progesterones, CRH/oestrogens, placental lactogen (increases maternal serum glucose) and prostaglandins (auto/paracrine).
Foetal blood distribution
20% lungs (50% in adults), 30% to head and upper limbs and 50% to rest of body.
Three issues with placenta
Before birth need to retain umbilical vessel patent, at birth need to transfer blood from placenta to foetus and need to close placental circulation very rapidly.
How much neonate blood is in the placenta?
33%.
When does the placental blood transfuse to neonate?
30% in the first 15 seconds and the rest in the next 2-3 minutes.
What causes placental blood transfusion to neonate?
Positional differences and contractions of uterus to express placenta immediately after birth, creating a pressure gradient between neonate and placenta.
Blood flow in umbilical cord between weeks 34-39
560ml/min.
Blood pressure in foetal artery
70/45.