Dear mopsy-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.
DEFINITION: Patent means "open". The “ductus arteriosus” is a blood
vessel connecting the main vessel leading to the lungs (pulmonary
artery) to the main vessel of the body (aorta).
Before I tell you what Patent Ductus Arteriosus is NOT, let me first
explain what it IS: Prior to a normal birth, the expectant mother’s
body takes care of the oxygen needs of the fetus (the baby before
birth) through the placenta. At this stage the fetus does not need to
use his/her lungs so very little blood needs to go to the lungs in
order to help them grow. The ductus arteriosus allows most of the
blood to bypass the lungs and go the rest of the body. Following
birth, the baby has to use his/her own lungs to breathe. At this stage
the blood from the pulmonary artery has to go to the baby’s lungs to
pick up oxygen instead of going through the ductus arteriosus as it
did before birth. Ordinarily, following birth, the ductus shrinks
gradually and eventually closes. This process normally takes a few
hours or perhaps even a few days.
In some infants, particularly those that are premature or those that
have experienced respiratory distress syndrome, this blood vessel (the
ductus) may not close all the way or may stay open. This condition is
called Patent Ductus Arteriosus. When this occurs blood begins to
travel in the opposite direction through this vessel than it would
when the infant was an unborn fetus, from the aorta to the lungs.
This, in addition to the normal blood flow from the heart to the lungs
is too much blood for the baby’s lungs to handle and makes it
difficult for the baby to breathe. The PDA increases the work of the
heart and the baby can develop heart failure if the amount of blood
flowing through the PDA is too large.
The cause of patent ductus arteriosus is not known, and in my research
I found no correlation between the origin of PDA and difficult or
protracted childbirth. One theory is that PDA might have something to
do with a “chemical” (and this is speculation) that is naturally
produced by the body at the time of birth, or shortly thereafter that
may cause the duct to close as the level of the chemical drops. But
perhaps, as it is theorized, in patients with PDA, the chemical
remains active and does not drop off normally, allowing the duct to
stay open. The rubella virus has also been associated with those
infants at higher risk of developing PDA.
PDA is an abnormality which accounts for 10% of all congenital heart
disease cases, and is higher than average in pregnancies associated
with persistent perinatal hypoxemia (or reduced oxygen levels) or
maternal rubella (German measles) and among babies born at high
altitude or born prematurely. Babies with respiratory problems at
birth may have a difficult time increasing the pressure inside the
lungs and thus a more difficult time changing the blood flow of blood
from the normal fetal direction to the normal newborn direction. PDA
is also a common congenital (present at birth) heart defect and may
occur along with other heart defects. It is twice as common in females
as in males. The incidence is roughly 1 in 2500-5000 infants.
I sincerely wish you and the child the best during this holiday
season. I hope you find that that my research exceeds your
expectations. If you have any questions about my research please post
a clarification request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise, I
welcome your rating and your final comments and I look forward to
working with you again in the near future. Thank you for using Google
Answers.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
“Discovery Health – Diseases and Conditions”
http://health.discovery.com/diseasesandcond/encyclopedia/48.html
“Patent Ductus Arteriosus”
http://www.rjmatthewsmd.com/Definitions/patent_ductus_arteriosus.htm
“High-Risk Newborn”
http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/ChildrensHealthAZ/hrnewborn/pda.htm
PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS (PDA)
http://www.heartpoint.com/congpda.html
PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS (PDA)
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/Health_Topics/heart-encyclopedia/anomalies/pda.htm
“CHDs Defined: Patent Ductus Arteriosus”
http://www.nemours.org/no/ni/cardiac/crd1525.html
“Patent Ductus Arteriosus”
http://www.amplatzer.com/physicians/pda/defect.html
“Congenital Heart Defect Online Handbook”
(Help with definitions and common abbreviations associated with CHD
and PDA)
http://my.execpc.com/~markc/congring.html
RECOMMENDED READING
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA): A Parent's Guide
http://www.tchin.org/resource_room/c_art_16.htm
By Robert J. Sommer, M.D. Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York, New York
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
“Congenital Heart Defects”
“Patent Ductus Arteriosus”
Infant PDA
Infant CHD
Childbirth PDA
Labor PDA
Causes of PDA
PDA cause treatment
Patent Ductus Arteriosus birth induced
PDA Patent birth induced |
