Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 72%
Full-length
The nurse caring for a child diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus should base planning on which fact concerning this disorder?
Correct answer
D
Rationale
Patent ductus arteriosus is described as an artery that connects the aorta and the pulmonary artery during fetal life. It generally closes spontaneously within a few hours to several days after birth. It allows abnormal blood flow from the high-pressure aorta to the low-pressure pulmonary artery, resulting in a left-to-right shunt. The remaining options are not characteristics of this cardiac defect.