Heart Disease in Premature Infants

Premature infants and heart disease go together in several ways. The fact that the baby is born prematurely may be due to heart disease in the mother. Or, the premature birth may be due to heart disease in the baby. Then again, the premature birth may lead to heart disease, as the body has not had time to develop fully before birth.

In this article, we will look briefly at premature infants and heart disease in the infant, not the mother.

Premature Infants

Premature infants are those that are born before 37 weeks. They may be called premature infants, preterm infants, or preemies. A premature infant’s problems are mostly related to the immaturity of the organ systems. The preemie requires specialized high-risk nursery care until those organ systems have developed enough to sustain life independently.

Premature Infants and Heart Disease

Premature infants are affected by congenital heart disease more than normal babies. Preemies are most likely to develop a heart disease known as patent ductus arteriousus (PDA).

Description of PDA Heart Disease

In the mother’s womb, an infant receives oxygen from the mother’s lungs and placenta. The baby’s lungs do not need to supply oxygen, so the heart doesn’t need to pump blood to the lungs. A blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus lets blood bypass the path to the baby’s lungs. Instead, the blood flows directly from the pulmonary artery to the aorta. Every baby has this blood vessel before birth.

When the infant is born, the lungs themselves must supply oxygen. As the lungs expand, their blood vessels relax to accept more blood flow. Within a few hours, the ductus arteriosus closes.

In premature infants, the ductus arteriosus sometimes fails to close automatically. When this occurs, the heart disease is called patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The word “patent” in this case means open.

Premature Infants with PDA Heart Disease

Premature infants with PDA heart disease can be helped with medication or surgery. Medication is usually tried first, but can have side effects. If medication fails, or the baby is thought unable to handle the medication, one of several surgeries can be successful in closing the opening.

Good Heart Disease

PDA can actually be a good heart disease in premature infants. Babies who have other heart defects need to have the PDA remain open if they are to survive.

A blocked pulmonary valve, or one that is underdeveloped, cannot supply enough blood to the lungs. In such a situation, the PDA supplies enough blood flow to the lungs to provide oxygen to the blood. If there is an underdeveloped aorta, the PDA is vital in getting sufficient blood flow to the rest of the body.

Disclaimer: The author is not a medical professional. The information provided here is for educational purposes only. Please seek advice from your physician.