During my nursing days, I used to disregard the concepts of the fetal intrauterine life especially fetal circulation. I've learned these concepts before taking the local board exams and that was out of pressure and curiosity. It is important to understand life inside the womb to avoid misconceptions. Before you even study the concept of fetal circulation there are important things to remember. These are:
- Lung or pulmonary function is absent during intrauterine life
- Pulmonary resistance is high due to the fluid-filled alveoli thus limiting pulmonary circulation
- Presence of primitive conduits e.g. ductus arteriosus, foramen ovale & ductus venosus
- Placenta as the fetomaternal organ that aids in circulation, endocrine and metabolic activity and as a protective barrier against potential pathogens
- A background on the normal adult or mature circulation is essential to fully understand the complexity of fetal circulation
Click on the images above to understand the process. My skills in Adobe Photoshop is not exceptional please bear with me. :D I only made the distribution of blood below the heart, to emphasized the return of deoxygenated blood to the placenta. Be reminded that the aorta delivers blood from the heart to the superior (above the heart) and inferior (below the heart) regions of the body. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or if you want some re-modifications on the images just kindly leave a message either on the message box or leave a comment on this post. Follow the placement of the guide, the compass, and the legend that are provided in the images. The beginning of the process is depicted at the top-most image then down. I hope this will suffice. I'll be posting about postnatal circulatory system changes in my next post so keep in touch! For those of you who want the individual 800x640 jpeg of the 6-part process you can leave a message at the message box with your email ad. Thanks! :D
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