In fetal life, the lungs are not expanded, so most of the blood from the right ventricle is shunted from the pulmonary artery to the aorta through the patent ductus arteriosus. With a few breaths the lungs expand, and blood flows from right ventricle to pulmonary artery into the lungs. Withdrawal of circulating prostaglandin from the mother plus bradykinins released from the expanding lung of the infant cause the ductus to close over a few minutes to hours. The closed ductus remains as the ligamentum arteriosum.
