Signs and Symptoms
While some cases of PDA are asymptomatic, common symptoms include:
- tachycardia
- respiratory problems
- dyspnea - shortness of breath
- continuous machine-like heart murmur
- cardiomegaly - enlarged heart
- left subclavicular thrill
- bounding pulse
- widened pulse pressure
- patients typically present in good health, with normal respirations and heart rate. If the ductus is moderate or large, widened pulse pressure and bounding peripheral pulses are frequently present, reflecting increased left ventricular stroke volume and diastolic runoff of blood into the initially lower-resistant pulmonary vascular bed. Prominent suprasternal and carotid pulsations may be noted secondary to increased left ventricular stroke volume.
- poor growth
- differential cyanosis, i.e. cyanosis of the lower extremities but not of the upper body.
Read more about this topic: Patent Ductus Arteriosus
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