Ductus arteriosus

Artery: Ductus arteriosus
Plan of the fetal circulation. ("Ductus arteriosus" visible at upper right.)
Heart cross-section with PDA
Gray's	subject #139 540
Source	pulmonary artery
Branches	aortic arch
Vein	ductus venosus
Precursor	aortic arch 6
MeSH	Ductus+Arteriosus

In the developing fetus, the ductus arteriosus (DA), also called the ductus Botalli, is a blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch. It allows most of the blood from the right ventricle to bypass the fetus's fluid-filled non-functioning lungs. Upon closure at birth, it becomes the ligamentum arteriosum. There are two other fetal shunts, the ductus venosus and the foramen ovale.

Patent ductus arteriosus

Main article: Patent ductus arteriosus

Failure of a child's DA to close after birth results in a condition called patent ductus arteriosus and the generation of a left-to-right shunt. If left uncorrected, patency leads to pulmonary hypertension and possibly congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias. Prostaglandins are responsible for maintaining the ductus arteriosus. Closure may be induced with NSAIDs because these drugs inhibit prostaglandin synthesis.

A patent ductus arteriosus affects around 40% of infants with Down syndrome (DS). A failure to thrive is a very common sign of this condition.

External links

• Circulatory changes at birth at berkeley.edu
• [1] Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Malformations in Atlanta Georgia. This is a study showing a correlation between air pollution, particulate matter greater than 10 micrometers, that has statistical significance in increasing the risk of patent ductus arteriosus when inhaled by pregnant women at 3-7 weeks of pregnancy.