Patent ductus arteriosus

Patent ductus arteriosus is persistence after birth of the fetal vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta, allowing blood to flow between them.

Ductus arteriosus: A fetal blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aorta, normally closing soon after birth. Its failure to close leaves the defining vessel of this condition open.
Echocardiography: Ultrasound imaging used to show cardiac structure, blood flow, and heart function. Doppler echocardiography can identify ductal flow and assess its effects on the heart.
Fetal circulation: The pattern of blood flow in a fetus, which uses the placenta for oxygen exchange. The ductus is one of the pathways that directs blood around the fetal lungs.
Atrial septal defect: A congenital opening in the wall separating the heart's two atria. It also permits abnormal blood flow, but the connection is between atria rather than great arteries.
Left-to-right shunt: Abnormal blood flow from the left side of the circulation to the right side through a connection between them. Higher aortic pressure usually drives blood through the open ductus toward the pulmonary artery.
Continuous murmur: A heart murmur that continues through systole and diastole. An audible continuous murmur is a classic finding when ductal flow persists.
Foramen ovale: An opening between the fetal atria that normally closes after birth. It is another fetal shunt whose closure accompanies the transition to newborn circulation.
Ventricular septal defect: A congenital opening in the wall separating the heart's two ventricles. It commonly causes a left-to-right shunt through the heart, not through a fetal vessel.
Pulmonary overcirculation: Excessive blood flow through the lungs, often caused by a cardiac shunt. The ductal shunt can send excess blood into the pulmonary circulation.
Indomethacin: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that can promote ductal closure in premature infants. It reduces prostaglandin production, which can help close a patent ductus in preterm babies.

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