To help prepare for my exam I am going to discuss Fetal Circulation to make sure I have it right
Fetal Circulation
Blood from the placenta leaves the placenta in a cord composed of 2 arteries and vein, the vein carries oxygen to the baby. Through the cord the blood enters the baby below the liver, the blood then enters the liver where it is cleansed, filtered and moved to the heart, where it enters at the Right Atrium. From the right atrium there are two pathways that the blood can take. 1. From the right atrium to the left atrium through the interatrial septum which is located at the foramen ovale. Then from here it enters into the left ventricles and sent through the lungs. 2 The blood enters the right atrium to the right ventricle to the pulmonary SL valve to the pulmonary trunk to the pulmonary artery to the Right and left lungs. At the pulmonary artery it overlaps the aortic arch and there is a whole that allows blood to come in and it is circulated to the rest of the body.
When the blod enters the baby it is fully oxygenated after it passes through the liver it is partially oxygenated. The majority of the blood that travels through the baby is deoxygenated.
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I just wanted to add that at birth, when you spank the baby's bottom for it to catch its first breath, the foramen ovale(in the interatrial septum) becomes the fossa ovalis when pressure changes cause the foramen ovale to shut.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 6-8 weeks after birth, the ductus venosus and arteriosus fill with collagen. The Ductus venosus then becomes the ligamentum Venosum and the ductus arteriosus becomes the ligamentum ateriosum. It seems like so many things go on for a baby to be born healthy and grow up to function as a healthy adult.