PDA Device Closure
Closing a blood vessel near the heart that should have shut soon after birth but stayed open, using a small device placed through a catheter.
What is a PDA?
Before birth, a baby does not use its lungs. A short blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus lets blood bypass them by linking the aorta (the main artery from the heart) and the pulmonary artery (the artery to the lungs). Normally it closes on its own shortly after birth. When it stays open, it is called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), one form of congenital heart defect. Extra blood then flows into the lungs, and the heart has to work harder. It is more common in babies born prematurely.
Signs to watch for
- A small PDA may cause no symptoms and is found only as a heart murmur.
- A larger PDA in a baby may cause fast breathing, sweating or tiring during feeds, poor weight gain and frequent chest infections.
- In older children and adults, it may cause breathlessness on exertion or signs of heart failure.
The diagnosis is confirmed with echocardiography, including paediatric echo for children.
Does every PDA need closing?
Not always. A very small PDA without effects on the heart may only need watching. Closure is advised when the PDA is causing extra load on the heart or other problems. Premature newborns are managed differently, often by the neonatal team first. For most older infants, children and adults whose anatomy suits it, the PDA can be closed through a catheter.
How the closure is done
- Children usually receive general anaesthesia; adults may need only local anaesthesia with sedation.
- A catheter is passed from a blood vessel in the groin to the duct.
- A small plug-like device or coil is placed in the duct to seal it, with X-ray and echo guidance.
- Correct position is confirmed before release, and the catheter is removed.
Before and after
Share all past reports and medicines, and any allergies. Most patients go home after a short stay. Follow-up echo checks are needed. A similar catheter approach is used for ASD device closure.
When to call
Contact the doctor for fever, breathlessness, poor feeding in a baby, or bleeding or swelling at the groin, or if the leg on that side looks pale or cold.
Whether a PDA needs closing, and how, is decided only after examination and echo reports. This page is for understanding, not a substitute for consultation.
For understanding only — the right test or treatment is decided after examination.
