Adult Blood Circulation/ Fetal Blood Circulation

In an adult, where are nutrients absorbed in the body?

Digestive Tract

After absorption, where do nutrients in the blood go first after leaving the digestive tract?

To the hepatic portal vein and into the liver

What is the function of the liver in this process?

mediates several processes, such as getting rid of toxins

After leaving the liver, how does blood return to the heart?

Through the inferior vena cava

During fetal development, where is the fetus located?

In the uterus immersed in amniotic fluid

What is the fetus’s only means of receiving nutrients?

Umbilical Cord & Placenta

During fetal development, the fetus depends on the mother for what?

Nutrients and Oxygen

What are the specialized structures during fetal development?

Ductus venosus, Foramen Ovale, & Ductus arteriosus

What is the function of the umbilical vein in fetal circulation?

transports nutrients from the mother’s placenta to the fetal liver (via ductus venosus)

Through which structure does nutrients comes from the umbilical vein and the fetal liver

Ductus Venosus

How does oxygen-rich blood reach the fetal heart?

Through the inferior vena cava

What is the function of the foramen ovale in fetal circulation?

connects right and left atria & lungs do not need to oxygenate blood

What is the function of the Ductus arteriosus in fetal circulation?

connects the pulmonary trunk to the aorta, bypasses the lung

From which chamber of the fetal heart is oxygenated blood pumped to the body?

Left ventricle

Where does oxygenated blood go after leaving the left ventricle in the fetus?

To the rest of the fetus body

Which vessel carries deoxygenated blood away from the fetus?

Umbilical artery

What happens to deoxygenated blood once it leaves the fetus?

Leaves through Umbilical artery, and It is oxygenated by the mother via the placenta

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)

a hole between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart

When does PFO occur?

In adulthood when the foramen ovale fails to close naturally after birth.