Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
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PDA is a heart problem that is usually noted in the first few weeks or months after birth. It is characterized by a connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery which allows oxygen-rich (red) blood that should go to the body to recirculate through the lungs.
All babies are born with this connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. While your baby was developing in the uterus, it was not necessary for blood to circulate through the lungs because oxygen was provided through the placenta. During pregnancy, a connection was necessary to allow oxygen-rich (red) blood to bypass your baby's lungs and proceed into the body. This normal connection that all babies have is called a ductus arteriosus.
At birth, the placenta is removed when the umbilical cord is cut. Your baby's lungs must now provide oxygen to his/her body. As your baby takes the first breath, the blood vessels in the lungs open up, and blood begins to flow through to pick up oxygen. At this point, the ductus arteriosus is not needed to bypass the lungs. Under normal circumstances, within the first few days or weeks after birth, the ductus arteriosus closes and blood no longer passes through it. Most babies have a closed ductus arteriosus by 72 hours after birth.
In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent) and becomes a problem, PDA. The opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass back through the blood vessels in the lungs.
PDA is the sixth most common congenital heart defect, occurring in 6 to 11 percent of all children with congenital heart disease. Patent ductus arteriosus occurs twice as often in girls as in boys.
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