Oxygen, Blood Flow and Pulmonary Atresia
The relationship between the heart and the lungs is one that keeps us alive. Blood from the heart travels to the lungs, where it collects the vital oxygen needed to power organs and tissues all over the rest of the body. If it weren’t for blood collecting and distributing oxygen, there’d be no point in the lungs storing it in the first place. For babies born with a condition called pulmonary atresia, though, this process is blocked from the start. This birth defect causes problems with the flow of blood to the lungs, and can be a serious medical situation for newborns. Here are some of the facts, symptoms and treatment options for pulmonary atresia. Heart, Lungs and Pulmonary Atresia? To fully understand pulmonary atresia, let’s break down how the heart and lungs work together. The heart splits up responsibilities between its left and right side. Blood leaves the heart from the right side, heading to the lungs to collect oxygen, before it returns to the left side. From there, the left ...