Tyler L. Langenfeld, Maram Sati, Martin L. Bocks, Arpit K. Agarwal
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.
United States
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
JACC Case Rep 2025; 30:
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2025.104677
Abstract
Background: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is one of the most common cardiac abnormalities in children, but in rare cases it can go undiagnosed into adulthood until symptoms arise.
Case summary: We present a unique case of a 55-year-old male patient with severe pulmonary hypertension and polycythemia vera requiring frequent phlebotomy who was found to have a PDA on cardiac computed tomography. Owing to the severity of his pulmonary hypertension, he was not a candidate for closure and was therefore treated with medical management.
Discussion: PDA diagnosed in adulthood is rare and carries significant morbidity, with findings such as congestive heart failure, infectious endarteritis, or severe pulmonary hypertension. Our patient had multiple severe and rare sequelae of a very large unrepaired PDA, including Eisenmenger syndrome and polycythemia vera, that required frequent phlebotomy. Despite the large size of the PDA, it was not visualized on echocardiography.
Category
Class I. Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Congenital Cardiovascular Disease
Age Focus: Adult Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Fresh or Filed Publication: Fresh (PHresh). Less than 1-2 years since publication
Article Access Free
PDF File or Full Text Article Available Through PubMed or DOI: Yes