Signs and symptoms
Common symptoms include:
dyspnea (shortness of breath)Signs include:
tachycardia (a heart rate exceeding the normal resting rate)
continuous "machine-like" (also described as "rolling-thunder" and "to-and-fro") heart murmur (usually from aorta to pulmonary artery, with higher flow during systole and lower flow during diastole)
cardiomegaly (enlarged heart, reflecting ventricular dilation and volume overload)
left subclavicular thrill
bounding pulse
widened pulse pressure
increased cardiac output
increased systolic pressure
poor growth
differential cyanosis, i.e. cyanosis of the lower extremities but not of the upper body.People with patent ductus arteriosus typically present in good health, with normal respirations and heart rate. If the PDA is moderate or large, widened pulse pressure and bounding peripheral pulses are frequently present, reflecting increased left ventricular stroke volume and diastolic run-off of blood into the (initially lower-resistance) pulmonary vascular bed. Eisenmenger physiology is pulmonary hypertension due to a left-to-right shunt. Prominent suprasternal and carotid pulsations may be noted secondary to increased left ventricular stroke volume. Risk factors
Known risk factors include:
Preterm birth
Congenital rubella syndrome
Chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., Down syndrome)
Genetic conditions such as Loeys–Dietz syndrome (would also present with other heart defects), Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome, and CHARGE syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Diagnosis
PDA is usually diagnosed using noninvasive techniques. Echocardiography (in which sound waves are used to capture the motion of the heart) and associated Doppler studies are the primary methods of detecting PDA.
Drugs such as alprostadil, a PGE-1 analog, can be used to keep a PDA open until the primary defect is corrected surgically. Prognosis
If left untreated, the disease may progress from left-to-right shunt (acyanotic heart) to right-to-left shunt (cyanotic heart), called Eisenmengers syndrome. Pulmonary hypertension is a potential long-term outcome, which may require a heart and/or lung transplant. Another complication of PDA is intraventricular hemorrhage. History
Robert Edward Gross, MD performed the first successful ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus on a seven-year-old girl at Childrens Hospital Boston in 1938. Adult
Since PDA is usually identified in infants, it is less common in adults, but it can have serious consequences, and is usually corrected surgically upon diagnosis. See also
George Alexander Gibson

References
External links
Patent Ductus Arteriosus Causes from US Department of Health and Human Services
Patent Ductus Arteriosus from Merck
Patent ductus arteriosus information for parents.