Fetal Circulation and Its Postnatal Changes

What is the function of the umbilical arteries?

They bring deoxygenated blood from the fetus back to the placenta.

What is the role of the umbilical vein?

It brings oxygenated blood from the placenta to the fetus.

What is the ductus venosus and its function?

It is an area where the umbilical vein bypasses the liver to deliver blood directly to the inferior vena cava.

What is the foramen ovale and its significance in fetal circulation?

It is a hole between the right and left atrium that allows mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood due to the fetal lungs not providing oxygen.

What does the ductus arteriosus connect and why is it important?

It is a shunt that connects the pulmonary trunk to the aortic arch, diverting oxygen away from the lungs and towards the rest of the body.

What does the umbilical vein become after birth?

It becomes the ligamentum teres.

What does the ductus venosus become after birth?

It becomes the ligamentum venosum.

What does the ductus arteriosus become after birth?

It becomes the ligamentum arteriosum.

What does the foramen ovale become after birth?

It becomes the fossa ovalis.