Coarctation of the Aorta

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Coarctation of the Aorta, a Congenital Aortic Disease Pang Vang Rasmussen College Coarctation of the aorta (COA) is a congenital heart defect that causes narrowing in the aortic valve, resulting in disruption of blood flow through the arch. COA is a defect which affects the cardiovascular system and may impair part or all of the heart. The aorta is the main blood vessel in which it carries oxygen rich blood from the left ventricle of the heart to the organs within the rest of the body. Severity of aortic narrowing differs from patient to patient and occurs in approximately 1 of 2500 live births. Studies show that aortic coarctation is more prevalent in males. This congenital heart defect is typically diagnosed in the infancy period when the aorta does not form correctly as the baby grows and develops in the stages of pregnancy, resulting inadequate blood pressure from different areas of the infant patient. Severe aortic narrowing (coarctation) can subject to inadequate blood supply transporting to the body’s organs and can even conclude in congestive heart failure. Some patients with this heart defect will typically not present symptoms until later on in life due to less significance of the narrowing or rapid post-natal development of collateral circulation that sustains adequate blood supply to the lower body (Matsui, H., Adachi, I., Uemura, H., Gardiner, H., & Ho, S. Y., 2007). The cardiovascular system, sometimes called blood vascular or circulatory system, will be highly disrupted by this congenital heart defect. The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart (muscular pumping device), arteries, veins, and capillaries. The heart consists of four chambers: the right ventricle, the right atrium, the left ventricle, and the left atrium – all which are responsible for pumping blood through a network of veins and arteries. Arteries are blood

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