Master Patent Ductus Arteriosus with Picmonic for Nursing RN

Patent ductus arteriosus is a congenital heart disorder in which a neonate’s ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth. The ductus arteriosus is a physiologic fetal blood vessel that connects the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch, allowing blood from the right ventricle to bypass the non-functioning lungs. At birth, the ductus arteriosus closes to become the ligamentum arteriosum. Failure of this blood vessel to close results in the condition patent ductus arteriosus, which generates a left-to-right shunt. The blood that flows through this duct creates a continuous machine like murmur that is loudest at the S2 heart sound. Common causes include congenital rubella or prematurity, and if left uncorrected, can lead to pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger syndrome.