Post PDA Ligation Monitoring: What to Expect & Recovery

Patent ductus arteriosus is a heart defect found in newborns. Mild cases of PDA are treated with drugs such as Indomethicin. In severe cases, open heart surgery is preformed by cardiothorasic surgeons. Surgeons access the PDA by making small incision in the ribs and stitch the ductus arteriosus closed. After surgery, the patient is monitored for a few days in the hospital and scheduled for regular checkups to monitor progress. Certain things need to be checked after a PDA ligation.

Instructions

• 1

  Check bandages surrounding the incision. Bandages need to be clean to prevent bacterial infection of the wound. Change the bandage dressing every 24 hours.

• 2

  Check chest tubes in the patient. Chest tubes remove blood or air. When most of the blood or air is drained out, remove chest tubes. Lungs will heal and the patient will begin to breathe normally.

• 3

  Monitor the patient's input and output daily. Input is the amount of food or drink the patient takes in and output refers to urine excretion. Monitoring is necessary to prevent dehydration in the patient, which can lead to further complications.

• 4

  Administer drugs including antibiotics, anti-pain medication and anti-nausea medication. Antibiotics will prevent any bacterial infection. Anti-nausea medication is used for recovery from the anesthesia. And anti-pain medication will help with any discomfort after surgery.