Patent Ductus Arteriosus Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) (PDA)

March of Dimes Fall 2008

November 11, 2008

Background informationBackground informationA congenital heart defect

(problems present at birth)An artery called the ductus

arteriosus leads blood from the heart away from the lungs in the baby during pregnancy

Under normal circumstances, a newborn’s ductus arteriosus closes with a few hours or a few days of birth

How the heart works How the heart works

What is Patent Ductus What is Patent Ductus ArteriosusArteriosusSometimes the newborn’s ductus

arteriosus does not close soon enough after birth. This is PDA.

CausesCausesNo specific known causesGenes may play a roleSide effect of other CHDs

OccurrenceOccurrenceAround 3000 diagnosed each year in the

USAMore common in premature and/or

hypoxic infants (lack of bradykinin)More likely in babies with Down

syndromeMore likely if mother had German measles (rubella) during pregnancy

Twice as common in girls as boys

Signs and SymptomsSigns and SymptomsTachycardiaSweatingShortness of breath, fast

breathingHeart murmurTired easilyPoor feeding and weight gain Enlargement of heart

DiagnosisDiagnosisDiagnosis begins with heart murmurSmall PDA may not be diagnosed

until later childhoodIn premature babies, heart murmur

may not be detected, so diagnosis begins with fast breathing

Two methods to diagnose: ◦Echocardiogram (ultrasound picture)◦Electrocardiogram (electrical signals

from heart)

Treatment and OutcomesTreatment and Outcomes

An otherwise healthy baby’s PDA may eventually go away

If other defects slowing blood flow are present, the PDA may be wanted to keep open until surgery can be performed

If the opening is too large and does not close by the age of 1 or 2, it will need to be treated

Treatment methods: medicine, catheter based, surgery

Treatments (cont’d) Treatments (cont’d) Medicines used to close:

indomethasin (in premature babies) and ibuprofen

Cardiac catheterization Surgery is used when

babies are too small for them to receive catheterization and is done on babies older than 6 months without other health problems from the PDA

What is March of Dimes What is March of Dimes Doing? Doing? Not specifically for PDA, but

scientists funded by March of Dimes are working on linking genes and environmental factors to congential heart defects and also brain injuries to prevent and treat them.

THE END THE END Thank you for Thank you for

listening! listening!