100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Foetal Development and Adaption to Extra Uterine Life $0.00

Class notes

Foetal Development and Adaption to Extra Uterine Life

 1 view  0 purchase
  • Course
  • Institution

University of Edinburgh lecture notes for Reproductive Biology 3 lecture "Foetal Development and Adaption to Extra Uterine Life"

Preview 2 out of 5  pages

  • April 28, 2023
  • 5
  • 2020/2021
  • Class notes
  • Simon riley
  • All classes
  • Unknown
avatar-seller
Foetal Development and Adaptation to Extra-Uterine Life
 Lung development in late pregnancy
o Babies briefly breathe amniotic fluid
 Most gas exchange is through the placenta
o Lungs are not needed in development, but they need to be prepared for extra-
uterine life
o Foetal breathing movements just use the diaphragm 1-4 hours per day
 Occurs during REM sleep
o Distension during breathing stimulates growth
o There is reflex neuromuscular development
o Surfactant production reduces surface tension for lung inflation
 Occurs later in lung development
 Allows lungs to clear of amniotic fluid at birth
 Production is stimulated by cortisol
o Antenatal treatment with glucocorticoids accelerates lung development and
surfactant production in preterm babies
 Babies given glucocorticoids are more likely to have respiratory issues in
their 40’s and 50’s
 To combat this, babies are often given a nebuliser after birth
containing cortisol
o Respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants is treated with surfactants
o 50% of women who go into a labour ward and don’t have any treatment done
get sent home because they aren’t actually in labour
 If these women are given glucocorticoids and then their babies are
delivered at term, they may have damaged a healthy foetus
 Lecithin is a surfactant that begins being produced around 24 weeks
o If the baby remains in utero until past 32 weeks, they probably won’t have too
many problems as they have a bigger lung capacity
o Liver glycogen also builds up rapidly after week 36
 Means that the switch to nutrients from milk doesn’t need to be instant
because they have a few days of energy built up




o

,  Modification to the foetal circulation using shunts
o Shunts incorporate the placenta into the foetal circulation
o They ensure the appropriate delivery of oxygenated blood and nutrients to the
foetus
 Blood largely bypasses the foetal lung and liver
o Foetal heart
 Oxygenated blood from the placenta enters the right atrium via the
inferior vena cava
 Foramen ovale allows oxygenated blood in the right atrium to reach the
left atrium (2)
 Heart pumps in parallel, most of the blood doesn’t go to the lungs
at this point in development
 Ductus arteriosus connects aorta with pulmonary artery, further
shunting blood away from the lungs and into the aorta (3)
 Mixed blood travels to the head and body, then back to the placenta via
the aorta (4)





o Umbilical cord contains the umbilical artery and umbilical vein
 Blood arrives at the umbilical cord via the umbilical vein
 The ductus venosus shunts oxygenated blood from the placenta away
from the semi-functional liver and towards the heart





 Ductus venosus
o Oxygenated blood travels from the maternal side of placenta towards the
foetal liver via the umbilical vein
o Flow splits into two vessels
 Larger is the ductus venosus- shunt that bypasses the hepatic circulation
 Direct link from the umbilical cord to the vena cava

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller alexgpegg. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $0.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

78075 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
Free
  • (0)