![]() ![]() This may be needed when the heart is not working well. Diuretics help the kidneys remove extra fluid from the body. Sometimes a baby may need medicine such as diuretics (water pills). Some babies may need medicine to help the heart and lungs work better. Your child's cardiologist can answer any questions you may have about this treatment. Indomethacin stimulates the muscles inside the PDA to tighten. In premature infants, the medicine indomethacin may help close the PDA. Your baby may need medicines help the heart work better. If a PDA does not close, it will be fixed to prevent lung problems. The cardiologist will check from time to time to see if the PDA is closing on its own. A PDA that causes symptoms will need to be treated with medicine, cardiac catheterization, or surgery. It will also depend on how severe the condition is.Ī small PDA may close on its own as your child grows. Treatment will depend on your child’s symptoms, age, and general health. An echo is the most common way that a PDA is diagnosed.Ĭardiac catheterization. Typically a catheterization is done to possibly treat a PDA, not diagnose it. It also shows how large the opening is, and how much blood is passing through it. An echo shows the blood flow pattern through the PDA. An echo uses sound waves to make a moving picture of the heart and heart valves. An ECG checks the electrical activity of the heart. It shows abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias) and heart muscle stress.Įchocardiogram (echo). Your baby may need tests, such as:Ĭhest X-ray. A chest X-ray may show an enlarged heart and lung changes in a baby with PDA.Įlectrocardiogram (ECG). The details about the heart murmur will help the provider make the diagnosis. The cardiologist will also check your baby, and listen to the heart and lungs. This is a doctor with special training to diagnose and treat heart problems in children. The provider may refer your baby to a pediatric cardiologist. The provider may have heard a heart murmur or found other symptoms during an exam. He or she will give your baby a physical exam. The healthcare provider will ask about your baby’s symptoms and health history. Have your child see his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis. The symptoms of PDA can seem like other health conditions. In older children, trouble doing activities Trouble feeding, or tiredness while feeding Skin turns a blue color from not getting enough oxygen (cyanosis) These are the most common symptoms of PDA: If your baby has a larger opening, he or she may have symptoms. If your baby has a small opening, he or she may not have symptoms. The size of the opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery will affect symptoms. PDA can also occur along with other heart defects. It is more common in babies born prematurely. What causes PDA?Įxperts don't know exactly why PDA occurs. PDA occurs twice as often in girls as in boys. The baby can have a harder time breathing and feeding. This can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs. ![]() The blood vessels and the lungs have to work much harder to handle the extra blood. If the PDA is large, too much blood goes to the lungs. With PDA, extra blood flows to the lungs. If it stays open (patent), it is called patent ductus arteriosus. This is because the baby gets oxygen from the mother.Īll babies are born with this opening between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. But it often closes on its own shortly after birth, once the baby breathes on its own. Before birth, the ductus arteriosus lets blood go around (bypass) the lungs. The aorta carries blood from the heart to the body. The pulmonary artery carries blood from the heart to the lungs. It’s an extra blood vessel that connects 2 arteries: the pulmonary artery and the aorta. The ductus arteriosus is a normal part of fetal blood circulation before a baby is born. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart defect found in the days or weeks after birth. Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) What is PDA?
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