Cardiovascular · UKMLA & AKT
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- PDA = failure of the ductus arteriosus to close after birth → left-to-right shunt (acyanotic defect)
- Kept open in utero by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2); NSAIDs (indomethacin, ibuprofen) inhibit PGE2 → promote closure
- Prostaglandin analogues (e.g. alprostadil) keep the ductus open - used in duct-dependent congenital heart defects
- Much more common in prematurity - 70% of infants <1 kg have PDA at day 7
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