A 39 week pregnant mother is on the labour and delivery ward and is asking the nurse on duty to explain some things about fetal circulation. She specifically asks that if not, any function in the lungs while in the womb where does the majority of the blood go? What should the nurse on duty respond?
Explanation
Answer:B -With non-functioning lungs, most blood bypasses the right ventricle, and the blood shunts directly from the right to the left atrium through the foramen ovale, a small opening with a valve, the septum primum, to prevent backflow, and to the ascending aorta and cranial arteries.
