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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffPatent ductus arteriosus symptoms vary with the size of the defect and the gestational age of the infant at birth. A small PDA may cause no signs or symptoms, and may go undetected for some time, even until adulthood. A large PDA can cause signs of heart failure soon after birth.
Your doctor may first suspect a heart defect during a regular checkup while listening to your baby's heart through a stethoscope.
A large PDA, found during infancy or childhood, may cause:
- Poor eating, poor growth
- Sweating with crying or eating
- Persistent fast breathing or breathlessness
- Easy tiring
- Rapid heart rate
- A bluish or dusky skin tone
When to see a doctor
Call your doctor if your infant or child:
- Tires easily when eating or playing
- Is not gaining weight
- Becomes breathless when eating or crying
- Always breathes rapidly or is short of breath
- Turns dusky or blue when crying or eating
- Patent ductus arteriosus. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pda/. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Patent ductus arteriosus. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/congenital_cardiovascular_anomalies/patent_ductus_arteriosus_pda.html?qt=patent%20ductus%20arteriosus&alt=sh. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Schneider DJ, et al. Patent ductus arteriosus. Circulation. 2006;114:1873.
- Doyle T, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Phillips III JB, et al. Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Miyamoto SD, et al. Cardiovascular diseases. In: Hay WW, et al, eds. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics. 20th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6582787. Accessed November 13, 2011.
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/Patent-Ductus-Arteriosis-PDA_UCM_307032_Article.jsp#.Trsm4fJUFI4. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- 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). Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2008;52:e143. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Clyburn RI, et al. Patent ductus arteriosus: Evidence for and against treatment. Journal of Pediatrics. 2007;150:216.
- Hammerman C, et al. Ductal closure with paracetamol: A surprising new approach to patent ductus arteriosus treatment. Pediatrics. In Press. Accessed Nov. 9, 2011.
- Preconception care questions and answers. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/preconception/QandA.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2011.
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