Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Systemic-to-pulmonary shunt
Introduction
A systemic-to-pulmonary shunt is a cardiac shunt which allows, or is designed to cause, blood to flow from the systemic circulation to the pulmonary circulation. This occurs when:
- there is a passage between two or more of the great vessels; and,
- systemic pressure is higher than pulmonic pressure and/or the shunt has a one-way valvular opening.
A systemic-to-pulmonary shunt functions as follows:
- left-to-right in the absence of arterioventricular discordance.
- right-to-left if the great vessels are transposed.
Editor-In-Chief: Template:WikiDoc Cardiology News C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]