Fetal CirculationHow does the fetal circulatory system work?During pregnancy, the fetal circulatory system works differently than after birth: Show
Click to Enlarge The fetal circulatory system uses 3 shunts. These are small passages that direct blood that needs to be oxygenated. The purpose of these shunts is to bypass the lungs and liver. That's because these organs will not work fully until after birth. The shunt that bypasses the lungs is called the foramen ovale. This shunt moves blood from the right atrium of the heart to the left atrium. The ductus arteriosus moves blood from the pulmonary artery to the aorta. Oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood are sent across the placenta to the fetus. The enriched blood flows through the umbilical cord to the liver and splits into 3 branches. The blood then reaches the inferior vena cava. This is a major vein connected to the heart. Most of this blood is sent through the ductus venosus. This is also a shunt that lets highly oxygenated blood bypass the liver to the inferior vena cava and then to the right atrium of the heart. A small amount of this blood goes straight to the liver to give it the oxygen and nutrients it needs. Waste products from the fetal blood are transferred back across the placenta to the mother's blood. Inside the fetal heart
At birth, the umbilical cord is clamped and the baby no longer gets oxygen and nutrients from the mother. With the first breaths of life, the lungs start to expand. As the lungs expand, the alveoli in the lungs are cleared of fluid. An increase in the baby's blood pressure and a major reduction in the pulmonary pressures reduce the need for the ductus arteriosus to shunt blood. These changes help the shunt close. These changes raise the pressure in the left atrium of the heart. They also lower the pressure in the right atrium. The shift in pressure stimulates the foramen ovale to close. Blood circulation after birthThe closure of the ductus arteriosus, ductus venosus, and foramen ovale completes the change of fetal circulation to newborn circulation. What is the name of the organ that is connected to the mother and the fetus that allows for the transport of molecules to and from the fetus during pregnancy?Placental villous capillaries: At the junction of umbilical cord and placenta, the umbilical arteries branch to form chorionic arteries and traverse the fetal surface of the placenta in the chorionic plate and branch further before they enter into the villi.
What is the name of this vessel of the fetal circulation?The oxygen rich blood then returns to the fetus via the third vessel in the umbilical cord (umbilical vein). The oxygen rich blood that enters the fetus passes through the fetal liver and enters the right side of the heart.
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