Feeling good with PDA

[Gina]

I am a very active 30 yr. old physical education teacher, aquatic therapist, and aerobic instructor.  I have always had a "murmur," but have had no symptoms of problems with my heart.  About six weeks ago, I noticed a few sharp chest pain, purple nail beds, and decreased aerobic endurance. After wearing a 24 hour monitor, my physician found that my resting heart rate at night is 37 beats per minute. I had an echogram this past week and it was confirmed that I have an PDA.  Is this something that they will simply monitor or is it sometimes fixed with surgery. I sure don't want to "slow down."  Thank you for any information!!
Sincerely,
Gina T

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Gina,

The ductus arteriosus connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta and is an important part of the fetal blood circulation.  It normally closes shortly after birth.  A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is due to a failure of the ductus to close after birth and occurs in 1 in 2000 people with a female predominance.  Usually with time it will eventually close but by the time someone is in their 30's spontaneous closure is rare.

The risks of a PDA are for infectious endarteritis and a "strain"  on the right side of the heart. For these reasons closure of the PDA is usually recommended.  This can be done either by surgery or with a catheter.  Hope this information helps.

[Bev]

I'm just wondering, is a PDA the same thing as an AP window?  Thanks.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

No.  A PDA is a heart maliformation.  An AP window is either referring to a type of view with xray or a type of ENT surgical procedure.