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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffPatent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a persistent opening between two major blood vessels leading from the heart. This heart defect present at birth (congenital) often closes on its own or is readily treatable. Left untreated, a patent ductus arteriosus can cause too much blood to flow through the heart, weakening the heart muscle and causing heart failure and other complications.
A small patent ductus arteriosus often doesn't cause symptoms. A doctor may discover it during a routine exam. An infant with a larger patent ductus arteriosus often has trouble gaining weight and has other signs and symptoms. An older child who has a patent ductus arteriosus may not be as active as normal, may tire more easily and may have frequent lung infections. Occasionally, a small patent ductus arteriosus may not be detected until adulthood.
Treatment options for repairing a patent ductus arteriosus include monitoring, medications and surgery.
- Patent ductus arteriosus. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pda/pda_all.html. Accessed Oct. 30, 2009.
- Doyle T, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 3, 2009.
- Doyle T, et al. Management of patent ductus arteriosus. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 3, 2009.
- Welty SE. Patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 3, 2009.
- Warnes CA, et al. ACC/AHA 2008 Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (writing committee to develop guidelines on the management of adults with congenital heart disease). Circulation 2008;118:e714.
- Clyburn RI, et al. Patent ductus arteriosus: Evidence for and against treatment. Journal of Pediatrics. 2007;150:216.
- Wilson W, et al. Prevention of infective endocarditis. Guidelines from the American Heart Association. A guideline from the American Heart Association Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, and the Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, and the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group. Circulation. 2007;116:1736.
