Ruth Seaton, Chandler Williams, Julia Peredo
Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 65-68, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12711
Abstract The ductus arteriosus is a lifeline for the developing fetus prior to delivery, allowing
the circulation of oxygen‐rich blood from the placenta to bypass the lungs and per‐
fuse the body. However, when the ductus fails to close after birth, the pressures can
cause blood to shunt from the aorta back into the lungs, causing pulmonary edema.
This is called a left‐to‐right shunt. The patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) can also shunt
blood from the pulmonary arteries to the aorta, bypassing the lungs and causing oxy‐
gen‐poor blood to mix with the oxygen‐rich blood circulating to the body. This is
called… More >
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