Patent ductus arteriosus

[Cami]

In patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), the blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery and the aorta (ductus arteriosus) fails to close as it usually does shortly after birth.

Patent ductus arteriosus is a heart birth defect that occurs when the normal channel between the pulmonary artery and the aorta in the fetus does not close at birth.
Often there are no symptoms, and the diagnosis is suspected based on a heart murmur the doctor hears with a stethoscope.
Premature newborns are especially susceptible to patent ductus arteriosus. They are more likely to have symptoms, including trouble breathing (especially when feeding)
Treatment with ibuprofen or indomethacin often helps to close the PDA, particularly in premature infants. If drugs are not successful, surgery may be done.
In full-term newborns, treatment with drugs is less likely to be successful, especially since these infants are usually a bit older when the diagnosis of PDA is made. Unless they have symptoms, surgical treatment is often delayed because in these infants the PDA often closes on its own.

(See also Overview of Heart Defects.)
The ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel in the fetus that connects the two great arteries leaving the heart, the pulmonary artery and the aorta (see Normal Fetal Circulation). The ductus is a short-cut that allows blood to bypass the fetus

[Gregory]

a birth defect of the heart in which a temporary blood vessel that supplies the unborn child does not close at birth: